


Captured

by Scarlett_Skylar



Category: Gundam SEED
Genre: Engagement, F/M, ZAFT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-16 15:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2274834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlett_Skylar/pseuds/Scarlett_Skylar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kira's a girl! Athrun and Kira are engaged at a young age and then separated when Patrick is made the Supreme Council chairman. They meet again in the middle of a war, Athrun as a ZAFT soldier, and Kira as a student wanting peace and nothing to do with the war. In the middle of a heated battle what will happen to the two? LONG TERM HIATUS!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Past

**Chapter 1**

Captured by Scarlett Skylar

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

Notes: Kira's a girl. This first chapter is going to be short parts of Kira and Athrun's childhood. Just some different scenes from before Athrun moved to the PLANTs.

 

Chapter 1: The Past

* * *

 

Age 7:

"Kira! Don't be so shy sweetheart. Mrs. Zala is very nice, and she's bringing her son over too. His name's Athrun, he's a few months older than you."

"But mom…"

"No. Kira, you'll be alright. He's a very nice kid." Kira stood there, in a pair of dark blue jeans, with a pink shirt on. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

The doorbell rang then. "That'll be them, come on hunny." Kira was reluctant, but she followed her mom to the front door. She opened the door, and there was a beautiful woman, who was introduced to Kira as Mrs. Zala, and she had her son with her, who was named Athrun. He had dark blue hair, that was kinda long; but it didn't look bad on him. Kira was hiding behind her mom, Athrun smiled in a friendly way. He had been told she was shy.

Mrs. Yamato and Mrs. Zala went into the sitting room, after telling the children to play. Kira didn't want to leave her mother's side, but Athrun understood. His mom had told him that the Yamato's were new to the neighborhood, and that they were going over to visit.

Kira was looking at Athrun shyly. She had never been good with people.

"Hi, my name's Athrun."

"Hi… I'm Kira."

"Wanna go play?"

Kira looked excited. "Sure!" They went out to the backyard and played on Kira's swing set, until their parent's called them in for supper.

* * *

 

Age 8:

"Athrun! I did it! I got the best score!" Kira ran up to Athrun and hugged him; Athrun hugged her back.

"That's great! I knew you could do it Kira!"

"Thanks to you." Kira replied hugging him tighter. "I couldn't have done it without your help!"

* * *

 

Age 9:

Kira, and Athrun were so anxious, Athrun's dad was having a really important dinner, and they got to come. Kira's parents came too!

They talked a lot about the PLANTs and the supreme council. The kids knew that Patrick wanted to be on the supreme council, and they both wanted him to be happy, because they were kids, and that's what kids did.

After all the really important people talked, we ate dinner. Somehow the talk turned to weddings, and both kids were paying attention to their parents talking about it. That's when Athrun jumped in, "I want Kira to be my wife." The table went silent, and the parents looked surprised.

Patrick smiled, "Athrun, what about what Kira wants?"

Kira smiled and said, "I want Athrun to be my husband too!"

There was a pregnant pause, Mrs. Zala laughed gently, "Well, that's a relief! We don't have to worry about you two finding someone," Mrs. Yamato smiled. "Very true. They're already so close."

So, it was official. Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala were engaged. It was in all the papers the next day. With a picture of the two of them, Athrun's arms wrapped around Kira, and she was leaning against his chest. They both had huge smiles on their faces.

* * *

 

Age 11:

"Leave her alone!" Athrun was yelling. The bullies were picking on Kira again, because she was so good at everything she did. She was always in second place, I beat her by the skin of my teeth, only because she never really applied herself.

Kira was on the ground, she had dirt on her face, and a cut on her arm from falling. "Or what? What are you gonna do Zala?" One of them snapped at me, Kira was crying, I don't know what came over me, but I snapped, and hit him. The others tried to jump me, but I somehow, beat them all.

The teachers came running, and we all got in trouble, even Kira. That made me mad! She didn't do anything! She basically got in trouble for getting beaten up.

Our parents understood though, when we told them why we got in trouble, they shared a smile. Kira was kinda hiding behind me, holding my hand, squeezing it. She hated it when I got in trouble, and I hated it when she did. This time, neither of us did.

* * *

 

Age 13:

"What do you mean you're moving?!" Kira looked so upset, she was sitting on my bed, on her knees, looking horrified.

"I'm sorry Kira! I don't want to 1eave! We have to! Dad's going to be a part of the Supreme Council and the Defense Council! Kira, we have to go. Dad can't do his work from here, you  _know_  that."

Kira's head was bowed. "Kira, I'm  _sorry_." Her shoulders were shaking.

"I-I… don't want to be alone…" Athrun sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't cry Kira…"

"I'm sorry. I can't help it." Athrun's shirt was getting wet from the tears, he didn't mind. It was Kira, he never minded when it was Kira.

After a few moments, she calmed, "Athrun…" Athrun placed his finger against her lips, silencing her.

"Kira, I  _love_  you. Don't forget that." Athrun wiped the tears off of Kira cheeks. "I know… I just…" Athrun hugged her. There was a long pause.

"When… when do you leave?" Kira whispered.

"Friday." Kira nodded, sadly.

* * *

 

On Wednesday:

Kira and Athrun were sitting on a bench in the park, under the trees. They were facing each other, and Kira was leaning forward, her head on Athrun's chest.

"I really will miss you Athrun."

"I'll miss you too Kira; but…" Kira looked up, surprised, "I got you something. So you won't forget me."

"I'd never forget you anyway."

"I know, but I want you to have it anyway."

"Okay." Kira looked confused.

Athrun smiled, and pulled away, leaning over to dig in his bag. He pulled something out and kept it covered with his hands.

"Kira, do you remember when we were 9, how we got engaged."

"Of course I remember!"

Athrun smiled, "Good. Well, you also know, I never got you a ring." Kira was giving Athrun an odd look, but nodded.

Athrun revealed what was in his hands, it was a ring box, covered in black velvet. Kira looked at Athrun, surprised.

"Kira, will you still be my wife?"

Kira smiled, with tears in her eyes. "Yes!"

Athrun smiled. "Good." And he opened the box, taking the ring, and sliding it onto her left hands ring finger. Kira paused, looking at the ring in wonder. It was a silver band, with one large diamond in the middle, surrounded by 10 small diamonds. It was fancy, but not overly so. He pulled a chain out from under his shirt, it had a matching silver band on it. Kira touched it lightly, surprised.

"It's beautiful." Kira whispered.

"Just like you." Athrun said softly. Kira blushed.

"Athrun?"

"Yes Kira?"

Kira was looking at Athrun, and turned red. "Uhm… nevermind." This made him frown.

"No, what?"

"Well… can I… uh… can I kiss you?"

Athrun was surprised by the question and instead of answering, leaned forward and kissed Kira gently.

The next day at school, all the girls were curious about the ring, and all the guys were jealous that Athrun had Kira. Apparently, people hadn't realized that they were serious about the engagement. But from the way Athrun and Kira were acting; they all know, it was serious. They were in love. The guys had all thought they had a shot with Kira, but now, they were sure they didn't. No one could stand up to Zala.

* * *

 

Friday:

"Do you really have to go?" Kira whispered.

"I'm sorry… you know I do." Athrun said, holding Kira. They were at the spaceport. Athrun's and Kira's parents were talking, and the two teens were a short distance away, saying their goodbyes. "Kira, you'll follow me to the PLANTs right?" She nodded, trying not to cry, even though she knew it was futile, she would cry; she missed Athrun already.

Athrun's parents had known about the ring, but hadn't seen it until Thursday morning. Kira's parents weren't really surprised, the Zala's had mentioned it to them that Athrun had been talking about getting Kira a ring before they left. They all loved the ring, it was beautiful, and it looked amazing on Kira.

"Athrun… we have to go hun." His mom called, and Kira frowned, she had tears on her cheeks, Athrun was wiping them away, and he just nodded so they knew he heard them.

"I'll try and call as often as I can, will you too?" Athrun asked the weeping Kira. She just nodded, to upset for words. Athrun placed his hand under her chin, and tilted her face up, he kissed her gently, and whispered "I love you Kira. Never forget that. Please don't cry, it makes this so much harder… we'll see each other again soon."

"I love you too Athrun." She whispered, hugging him one last time before he and his parents boarded the ship. Athrun turned and waved goodbye right before he entered the plane.

"Goodbye Athrun." Kira whispered, wiping away some of the tears.

* * *

 

A few months later:

**Kira's POV**

I was sad, I couldn't help it. I missed Athrun, and every time I called he wasn't at home. I left messages, and he always ended up calling back when I wasn't home.

I hadn't seen his face since he left, and I hadn't talked to him since then either. It felt so hopeless, and now, mom and dad said we were moving to Heliopolis, not the PLANTs. I had tried to call Athrun, and let him know what my new number was, and I just hoped he got the message. I didn't tell him we weren't moving to the PLANTs, I just said what our new number was.

I finished packing my things, and I grabbed the jacket Athrun had left behind. It was too big for me, but it reminded me of him, and made me feel safe.

"Kira, you ready?" I glanced at my ring,  _I miss Athrun so much… maybe when we get settled in at the new house I'll be able to talk to him._

"Coming mom!"

* * *

 

**With Athrun: (Athrun's POV)**

_Damn… I missed her call again._ I frowned, it was so depressing, I hadn't seen the love of my life since I had moved.  _I just wish I could go see her._  I listened to the message, and smiled. I tried calling her, but it said the number was disconnected. I frowned, and replayed all the messages I had saved, they were all from the same number, and none of them mentioned anything about a number change. I left my room and made my way to my dad's office; I knocked and he let me in.

"What's wrong?" he looked concerned, I usually didn't bother him when he was working. I told him what had just happened. He tried calling, and the same thing happened. We didn't know what to do. Mom didn't know anything either.

"Just wait a few days, Athrun. I'm sure she'll call and explain."

"Okay dad."

* * *

 

February 14, C.E. 70 (The Bloody Valentine does not happen.)

_The Moon Tragedy._

"27,000 people died today when a moon school, was blown up today." Athrun heard it on the radio, horror filling him. He was at school when the announcement was made.  _No… Kira!_ Panic filled me. Everyone around me was whispering, the teachers all looked horrified. We were all in the auditorium, and they had the news on the screen. "There is speculation that ZAFT is to blame." There was a huge uproar in the auditorium. People were yelling that it wasn't ZAFT.

_Kira… please be okay… please…._

* * *

 

With Kira:

"27,000 people died today, when a moon school was destroyed. ZAFT is suspected." I felt the panic run through me.  _ZAFT?! But… Patrick would never… NO! It couldn't be ZAFT… no…_

* * *

 

February 16, C.E. 70

With Athrun:

We were sitting in the auditorium again; school had been different since the incident. "It has been discovered that ZAFT was innocent in the moon school bombing. The true perpetrators were Blue Cosmos. Who attempted to frame ZAFT for it." There was a stir in the room. People were angry, the coordinators had nothing to do with it, and they had been blamed. "ZAFT has declared war on the Earth Alliance." The hall went dead silent.

_Something has to be done… dad's been talking about me joining but… I think I need to now. I have to do my part and protect the PLANTs. Blue Cosmos killed innocent people to set ZAFT up, and the Earth Alliance just turned a blind eye. I have to do something…_

* * *

 

With Kira:

I was sitting under the balcony with Tolle, Mir, Sai and Kuzzey when we heard the announcement. "It has been discovered that ZAFT was innocent in the moon school bombing. The true perpetrators were Blue Cosmos. Who attempted to frame ZAFT for it. ZAFT has declared war on the Earth Alliance." My face fell.  _No… Athrun… Patrick… Lenore…_

"Kira, what's wrong?" It was Tolle.

"Nothing… I just hoped it wouldn't come to this."

"Yeah… but at least Orb is neutral."

_For now…_

* * *

 

February 21, C.E. 70

With Athrun:

 _Mom took it better than I thought she would._  I was filling out paperwork for the ZAFT military academy. There was a teenager my age sitting next to me, named Yzak Joule. We had walked up to the desk at the same time, and that's how I knew. I had heard him give his name.

I finished my paperwork quickly, and so did he. We turned it in, and she told us that we would be receiving a call with instructions about where to report to.

_Kira… I know we both hate war… but I have no choice… I have to do something… please, forgive me. I hope you understand…_

* * *

 

With Kira:

"Kira! Can you help me with the Algebra homework?"

"Sure Tolle. What's the matter?" He explained, and it was a simple mistake, he just had dropped a negative, so his numbers were off. Tolle thanked me and went back to what he was doing, and so did I. We were sitting in the gazebo in the park, Mir, Flay, Sai and Kuzzey were here to. This was kinda like our study hall.

_Athrun… I miss you so much…_

* * *

 

September 20, C.E. 70

With Athrun:

_Graduation day, finally._

I was getting ready, I knew mom and dad were already here.  _Kira… I wish you could be here._ Mom was going to take a lot of pictures, and I knew it, so I'd be able to show her later, but I still wish she was here.

We followed the procedures, and I was one of the few red coats that were in this class. I was on stage, and Commander Le Cruset came by, if he tapped your shoulder you stepped forward. He tapped mine first. I was surprised, out of the corner of my eyes I could see Nicol, Dearka, Yzak, Rusty, Miguel, and Olor.

"These seven men have been chosen for the Le Cruset team. It is one of the highest honors to be accepted into this team. These men were chosen by Commander Le Cruset himself." Applause echoed through the room. We were led off stage by the Commander.

"Your first briefing will be in three days at 0700, in the main briefing room." We saluted, "Yes sir!" "Also, there will be a team meeting tonight. I believe you work better as a team if you are familiar with each other, you will be sharing personal details, so get used to it now." We saluted and he left, our parents walked in then. My mom hugged me, and dad said, "Congratulation son!"

The parents were all talking now, and we sat around talking with them for awhile, before we had to leave for the team meeting. It was obvious we were all nervous, and excited at the same time.

* * *

 

At the team meeting:

"Good, you're all here early. We can begin." The Commander had told us to wear casual civilian clothing; he was too. Most of us had a ZAFT Academy t-shirt on, and jeans.

The commander smiled, "I want to start by asking you all to share one event, unique to you, that would throw you off, something that would greatly upset you. Whether it be on leave, during battle, whatever the case may be. Think about it. Athrun, you go first, take your time."

"I don't need time to think commander. I already know my answer."

Everyone looked surprised, "Go ahead then Athrun."

"If I were to run into my fiancé… it would be a very stressful situation for me."

Yzak chimed in, "You have a fiancé? Since when?"

"Since I was nine," I laughed, remembering, "we announced it at a political dinner for my dad." I pulled the chain with the ring out from under my shirt, and showed it to them. "I moved from the moon when I was 13. I gave her the matching ring to this three days before I left. I… haven't spoken to her in a long time… I'll be the first to admit, my weakness is her. I miss her. I haven't seen her since I moved, we talked when we could, but it's been rough because every time she called, I wasn't home. Every time. She left messages, and when I called back, she wasn't home."

"So, you've played phone tag for 4 years?" Rusty asked, amazed.

"Ya, basically."

"Damn, that's rough." Yzak muttered.

"What's her name?" Miguel asked.

"Kira. Kira Yamato." I felt the smile on my face.

"It's a beautiful name." Nicol commented.

"I'm glad you chose to share this, Athrun, now we all know what to expect, should be ever hear that name." The commander said, gently.

"Ya, well, I don't think it'll happen."

"Why's that?" Olor asked, confused.

I explained how she had moved, and I didn't know where, and I told them how I accidently deleted the message before I got to write down her new number, and how I hadn't gotten to talk to her since. I didn't know if she even wanted to see me anymore. I told them everything, and when I was done they all were shocked. "Damn…"

We went on like that the rest of the night, and I just wondered,  _Kira… where are you?_

* * *

 

With Kira:

Mir, Tolle and I were at my house, mom and dad had gone out for the night.

"Okay, Kira, it's killing me, I gotta ask." Tolle said, I looked surprised.

"What is it?"

"You've had that ring on since we met, why?"

"Oh… uhm…" I blushed, "My… fiancé gave it to me, four years ago, right before he moved to the PLANTs."

"Why haven't we heard of him before now?" Mir prodded.

"It's complicated."

"We have time."

I sighed, "Alright. I haven't seen him since he moved, we played phone tag for a long time, he was never home when I called, and I was never home when he called. But, when I moved, I left a message with my new number, but he never called. I have a feeling he never got it…" I frowned.

"Hold it, you moved here years ago. That's rough…" Tolle said, sadly.

I explained the pure panic I felt when I heard about the moon bombing, I knew that ZAFT was innocent, I knew Patrick wouldn't have let it happen; I told them about his position on the council, and the fear I felt when I heard ZAFT declared war. I explained my fear that my fiancée would get involved in the military.

"What's his name?"

"Athrun. Athrun Zala."

"The son of supreme councilman Patrick Zala right?" Mir asked.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"I can see why you'd be worried about him joining the military…" Tolle said.

"I hope… we get to meet him one day. He's gotta be special if he won your heart Kira." I felt myself blush at Mir's words. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, we won't." Tolle and Mir promised.

* * *

January 25, C.E. 71

"Ready Zala?" Yzak was asking me.

"Yeah, let's get those bastards."

We all walked out to the meeting area. We knew the plan, infiltrate Heliopolis, take the Mobile Suits, and get them to the Commander safely. The other team would work on destroying the new warship. The plan was flawless from what they could tell. They'd gone over it a hundred times. They all knew their parts.

"Let's go." Miguel said. And we did.

Yzak, Nicol and Dearka got three of the machines without much of a problem. Rusty and I went after the other two; we made it inside without much of a problem. "There are the other two!" Rusty called.

We ran towards them, and a shot landed next to me. "It's an earth forces officer!" Rusty got shot in the arm, and had to fall back, over the communication lines I heard Miguel coming to get him. When I got on top of the machine I had my knife drawn, the gun had jammed. And that's when my heart stopped.

"K-Kira?"

"Athrun?" She whispered, we were both frozen, then the officer fired at me and I fell back and got the other machine.

_Kira? Was that really you?_

I saw the officer knock her into the other mobile suit, and I prayed it wasn't Kira, but in my heart, I knew it was.

 

 

End Chapter 1.


	2. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to say thank you to my two lovely reviewers, worldwandered2.0 and MeikoKuran999; from fanfiction.net. 
> 
> Also, Tolle and Mir are the only ones that didn't make it to a shelter.

Captured by Scarlett Skylar (Formerly Blood Scarlet Dark)

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

* * *

 

**Chapter 2**

I returned back to the ship as fast as I could, I was the last one back.

Dearka, Nicol, Yzak, Rusty, Olor, Miguel and the commander were in the hanger, waiting for me. "Athrun! What happened? Are you alright?" Rusty was yelling.

"Yeah. I'm okay!" I yelled back as I climbed out.  _Should I tell them I think I saw Kira? No… I need to find out for myself first…_

We all met on the bridge, waiting for our new orders.

"We have reason to believe the Earth Forces ship is heading towards Artemis. We need to destroy it before they reach it. And capture that new machine, or destroy it. Capture it if at all possible. Zala, Elsman, Joule, and Amarfi, you're going out. The other teams aren't able to because of the damage their machines all took." We saluted, and walked back to the hanger.

* * *

 

With Kira: 

"Kira! You okay? That was amazing!" Tolle was yelling as the officer and I climbed out of the mobile suit. Some Earth Forces soldiers came running.

"Lieutenant Ramius! Are you alright?"

"Ensign Badriguel, I'm alright. Yourselves?"

"Everyone's fine; but the captain and superior officers all perished in the explosion."

"I see."

A blond man approached, and introduced himself as Mwu La Flaga, and explained his situation, I wasn't really paying attention to them, until the man turned to me. "You, kids, what're your names?"

"Miriallia Haww, Tolle Koenig, Kira Yamato." He smiled.

"So, Kira, you're a coordinator, aren't you?" Everyone froze, I wished he hadn't asked.

"Yes."

Some of the soldiers suddenly had guns pointed at me. Tolle jumped in front of me on one side, Mir on the other.

"What do you think you're doing?! Kira's a coordinator, but not an enemy! Didn't you see for yourselves what just happened?! You must be out of your mind, all of you!" Tolle was yelling.

"Lower your rifles."

"Lieutenant Ramius, I request an explanation."

"It's not all that unusual if you think about it. Heliopolis is part of a neutral nation, so it wouldn't be odd for a coordinator to move here, to avoid the conflict, isn't that right Kira?"

"Yes, especially when you consider than I'm a first generation coordinator."

"This means your parents are naturals. Well, sorry about that, I didn't mean to cause such a stir. I was just curious, nothing more than that."

The officers were talking about what to do next, and they decided to go back to the ship. We were dragged along. 'Because we were exposed to top military secrets.'

"We need to leave, now. The Le Cruset team isn't going to just sit around and wait." It was commander La Flaga.

"Where should we go then?"

"Artemis."

"What?"

"It's the closest. We need to resupply. We can't make it to Alaska or the moon like this."

I looked on surprised, no one argued, and we were on the way to Artemis.

"Kira we need your help."

"No. I'm not getting involved in this war anymore than you already have made me. I chose to live in neutral territory for a reason!"

"Kid, I understand, but right now, you and I are the only ones that can protect this ship! You have the power to do something, so shouldn't you?"

I frowned, feeling conflicted. He walked away, and I went back to Tolle and Mir.

"What do I do?" I whispered.

Tolle frowned and wrapped his arms around me. "Maybe, we should all help… until we reach Artemis."

"I don't want either of you involved in this."

"If we have the power to help, we should. You shouldn't have to do this alone."

I frowned, but I couldn't argue. They went to talk to the captain, and I went to find the commander. I found him in the locker room. He looked surprised when I walked in.

"I guess… for now I'll help." He smiled, "That's good to hear Kira." I smiled, sadly.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Yeah… just worried."

"I understand. Now, Kira, we have a plan; but we have time. I don't think ZAFT will strike just yet." I nodded showing I understood.

We spent some time in the locker room, and the hanger, mostly just him making sure I was gonna be okay to fight. He'd told me to stop calling him commander, made him feel old apparently. I had to laugh at that, I couldn't help it.

"Uhm... Mwu?" he looked up from what he was doing on the mobile armor's computer.

"Ya Kira?"

"Why did you join the Earth Forces?"

"… My dad wanted me to, and I had family killed in an attack on earth… I just… had to do something." I nodded, showing I heard and understood.

"How much time do we have left?"

"About an hour." For some reason, Mwu and I just clicked, like we had known each other for years. It was strange, but at least I had someone to talk to while Tolle and Mir were working.

I nodded, "So, what's the plan?"

"You're going to distract the ZAFT mobile suit, and I'm going to sneak around, and attack the ship. I'm going to try and attack the engine." I nodded, "What if they notice you?"

"I can handle myself. Don't worry about me Kira. Think only of protecting yourself, and this ship."

I nodded.  _Ya, if only it was that easy…_

Mwu was watching me work on the Strike, and he was surprised how fast I was working. "I've never really spent any time around coordinators."

"Well, that's understandable. Coordinators aren't exactly in the Earth Forces, you know." I had a teasing smile, and he laughed nodding.

"Commander LaFlaga, Ensign Yamato!" we both looked to see Mister Murdock, the head mechanic, floating towards us. "Yes?" The commander replied, "Are you two almost ready? Almost done with the Strike Kira?"

I nodded, "Ya, just running some last minute system checks; everything's good."

"Good." Mister Murdock said, and Mwu smiled at me.

"Kid, you're just something else."

I looked at him surprised, and smiled. "Ya, I guess."

"Oh! Kira, before we go out, put a lock on the O.S., make sure no one can operate this machine but you… if something bad was to happen, and this fell into enemy hands, I don't want them to be able to use it against us."

I looked at him surprised, and nodded. "It'll just take a few minutes, I'll have it done before we go out." I started typing, and Mwu moved so he was standing over my shoulder, looking at the computer screen.

"Whoa… I can barely keep up with you, kid."

I smiled, "Ya, well, I'm trying to hurry, I want to make sure they won't be able to hack it…"

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Do you think they'll send the four stolen ones out?"

"Yeah… I'm afraid they will. Cruset is an opportunist, if nothing else."

I nodded...  _Athrun… will you try and destroy this ship?_

Mir's voice echoed through the hanger then, "All personnel to level one battle stations. I repeat, all personnel to level one battle stations."

Mwu and I looked at each other then. "Ready Kira?"

"I can't afford not to be." He smiled at me, "Be careful kid. I'd hate for you to get hurt."

"I'll do my best Mwu." He patted me on the head, like you did to a child, and smiled at me in a reassuring way.

"Good."

He nodded at me one last time, and ran towards his mobile armor. He launched before I did, "Mwu La Flaga, Zero launching!"

"Kira Yamato, Strike launching!"

"Kira, Commander, we have detected the launch of four units for the ZAFT ship. Buster, Blitz, Duel and Aegis."

"Damn them!" Mwu muttered, "Good luck Kira."

We both knew he couldn't do anything to help me; we needed him to disable their ship. The Buster, Blitz, and Duel went towards the archangel, and the Aegis came towards me. Not exactly in an aggressive manner though, almost hesitant.

_It's that mobile suit… Athrun? Is it you?_

"Kira? Kira Yamato?" His voice came across loud and clear, a voice I would never forget and I gasped. "So, it is you, isn't it Kira?" he sounded upset beyond words.

* * *

 

**Athrun's POV**

_Damn. I hoped it wasn't Kira... now what? Better let the commander know…_

"Athrun? Athrun Zala?"

"What is this? Why are you here?"

"You should talk. What do you think you're doing in that thing?!"

There was a long pause, where I wasn't sure what to say to make her listen. "Kira! Stop this! Please put away your sword Kira! We are not enemies! Am I right? Why do we have to fight each other?"

"Athrun…" She sounded upset, shocked, and she could tell I was angry.

"You're a coordinator, just like us! Why would you want to fight against your own kind?"

I heard Yzak say he was gonna come back me up, and I felt panic. Yzak's temper was explosive on a good day.  _She has to listen to me._ Just then I saw something cross her expression, and she went to go help the ship, but I cut her off.  _No Kira… you're coming with me, where I can keep you safe._

"Kira! Enough! What are you doing with the earth forces? Why are you siding with the naturals, tell me!

"I am not part of the Earth forces!" she snapped at me, shock and relief filled me, "But there are people I know on that ship! They're all good friends of mine! Besides, what are you doing with ZAFT? Why'd you get involved in the war?! You used to tell me that you hated the whole idea of war, so why did you attack Heliopolis?!"

"Because that's where the naturals built these things, they turned it into a target!"

"But heliopolis is neutral, and so am I! Yet, you…" I saw Yzak then,  _Shit…_

"You're not fighting Athrun! Why not?!" he went after Kira before I had a chance to explain,  _she's gonna run out of power soon…_

They fought for a while, and I felt helpless. Dearka came up then, "Hey Yzak! Athrun! What are you guys doing?! Let's surround him!" Nicol was right behind him, and that's what they did.

Yzak kept going after Kira, and I knew I had to stop it,  _but I can't tell them yet, she's got an open communication line to the warship now… they'll hear me to… god only knows what they'd do to her if they knew her fiancé was a ZAFT soldier…_

A message flashed over my screen, "The ship's been hit? How?" I heard Yzak yell.

"We're ordered to retreat?!"

"Yzak! We've been ordered to retreat!"

"Keep your mouth shut you coward!" I was startled, but to him, that was true. I was acting like a coward.  _They'll understand soon…_

I saw her phase shift armor go down then, and Yzak was about to attack again, and I transformed my suit then; I got in front of Yzak and grabbed her.  _You're coming with me Kira._

"What are you doing Athrun?" Nicol was shocked.

"I'm capturing this machine."

"What was that?" Yzak sounded furious.

"We were ordered to retreat! We gotta get outta here!" Dearka was yelling at all of us.

"We won't have a chance like this again! Now let's go!" I took off towards the ship, and they paused but followed me towards the Gamow.

"Athrun! What are you up to?!" I glanced at my screen and saw Kira's face looked worried.

* * *

 

**Kira's POV**

"I'm taking you to the Gamow." I felt the terror rip through me.  _No…_

"Get serious! I'm not gonna set foot on any ZAFT ship!"

"You are a coordinator; you're one of us, Kira."

"No! I won't join ZAFT!"

"That's enough Kira! Quiet! Just let me take you. Otherwise…" he trailed off and looked at me; I was staring blankly at the control panel. He didn't finish his sentence.

"Athrun…." I whispered… then an alarm beeped. Mwu had shown up, firing at the other three gundams.

"Hey kid! You okay?!"

"Mwu!"

"Mobile armor?!" Dearka sounded surprised.

"Athrun! Look out!" Nicol yelled.

"Damnit!" I heard him yelling, somehow evading the shots directed at him, and holding onto me.

Next thing I knew, I saw an explosion on the side of my screen, I turned and saw that the Buster and Duel had teamed up on Mwu, and he was disabled.

"Should we take this one too then?" I heard the Buster's pilot ask Athrun. I stayed quiet, not sure if they knew I could hear them or not.

I tried contacting Mwu via typed message, hoping he was still conscious.

 

_Kira: Mwu?! You okay?!_

_Mwu: Ya kid, I'm ok. Are you?_

_Kira: I think I have a cracked rib, but I'll live._

_Mwu: Alright. When we get onto the ship just cooperate. You're a civilian so you should be okay._

_Kira: What about you?_

_Mwu: Don't worry about me, kid. Worry about yourself. Are you able to get the O.S. locked before we get there?_

_Kira: Yes. I only need a minute._

_Mwu: Good. Don't do it until they're docking. That way they might not notice._

_Kira: Okay. Be careful Mwu._

_Mwu: You as well. Don't try an stupid heroics. That's an order._

_Kira: Didn't you just say I wasn't a soldier?_

_Mwu: Yamato!_

_Kira: Yes sir. No heroics._

_Mwu: Can I ask something personal?_

_Kira: Sure. What is it commander?_

_Mwu: Your fiancé, is he with ZAFT?_

I froze, and didn't answer I looked at him in my screen, and I just nodded. He nodded back.

 _Mwu: I thought so. It's okay, kid. I know you were doing your best._ I just nodded and set my head in my hands.

"Kira!" I heard Athrun's voice call me. I glanced at my screen, and he was watching me carefully. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." Was all I said, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't lie to me."

I just glared at him, and turned away from him.

_Mwu: Just relax. Don't forget, you never joined any military._

_Kira: Thanks Mwu._

I could hear Athrun and one of the other pilots talking, they were discussing who should dock when. It was decided Athrun would dock first, there'd be less chance of me getting away that way. Then the Buster, then Duel, and Blitz last. They'd remove Mwu from his Zero before they came for me. As soon as I got some of the info I sent a message to Mwu, and he nodded in confirmation; and I started to shut down the Strike's system.

_Gotta hurry… gotta hurry… Athrun… why are you doing this?!_

* * *

 

End chapter 2


	3. Caught

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: I do not own.

For contact info other than PM on this site, please see my authors page. There is a link to my Facebook there.

* * *

 

**Kira's POV**

_Gotta hurry… gotta hurry… Athrun… why are you doing this?!_

I could faintly hear what was going on around me. I heard when one of the pilots started yelling, something along the lines of "you stupid bastard! What is the matter with you?! Why can't you just follow orders?!" Then I heard a softer voice say, "Let him go Yzak. This isn't the time or place. We got the Strike, what's it matter?"

There was silence after that, I could hear them walking in the opposite direction. I was almost done locking the O.S.  _I won't let you use the Strike to hurt Mir or Tolle or Mwu… even though he's stuck on this damn ship to… hopefully we get out of this… Athrun… why?_

I could hear Mwu's voice, but couldn't tell what he was saying. There was some conversation, and I had a feeling Mwu was stalling for me. I put in the final commands and put away the keyboard.  _Thanks Mwu. They won't be able to get past that lock._

* * *

 

**Athrun's POV**

As soon as I exited the Aegis the commander was there, giving me an odd look. We waited for the other guys to dock; Rusty, Miguel and Olor were there before Nicol was docked. Yzak grabbed me and started yelling, but Nicol broke it up before the commander broke us up. He was seething and I could understand. We walked over to where the mobile armor was, and the commander stepped forward.

"Mwu La Flaga, Commander from the Earth Forces, please exit your vessel with your hands up." We weren't surprised; the commander seemed to have some history with Mwu. He did as he was asked. Dearka and Yzak walked forward and removed his weapons and cuffed his hands in front of him.

"Well, this is a rather odd situation, isn't it?" The commander was being nice, they were a little surprised, but no one ever questioned him.

"I suppose." The blond man said, giving the commander a strange look.

"Anything you'd like to say for yourself?"

"For myself? No. Not particularly."

"The way you say that makes me think you feel the need to speak on someone else's behalf."

"Possibly, depends on what they have to say for themselves."

The commander frowned, but turned towards the Strike. "I think it's time to see the pilot of the Strike." I felt myself tense, and I felt some of the blood drain from my face, and I could see the blond commander looking at me strangely.

We walked over to the Strike, and the commander looked at Mwu. "Can the pilot hear us from here?"

"Probably. Not too sure. It's hard to say with her."

"Her? The pilots a woman?" Commander Cruset looked surprised, everyone glanced at me out of the corner of their eye; the commander glanced at me last and sighed a little.

"Yes, but she's very… stubborn. Even if she can hear you she's probably going to ignore you."

"A stubborn soldier? That's unusual."

"It's not good to assume things." Mwu countered, a little vaguely.

"What do you mean?"

"I think that's up to Kira to explain, if she chooses to."

"Kira? You mean Kira Yamato?" The commander looked at me, surprised, and I just looked at the floor, that told him that I had known.

"Yes."

Everyone looked at me then. "Athrun, would you mind doing the honors?" I just nodded silently, and floated up to the cockpit, and leaned against the Strike, wondering if she would come out willingly or if we'd have to force her out. The commander, the earth forces pilot, Rusty, Miguel, Olor, Nicol, Dearka and Yzak followed me; but they stayed far enough back that they wouldn't be in the way.

"Kira?" I called softly. "Please come out of the Strike, you will not be harmed in any way."

There was a long pause, "Fuck off Zala!"  _Crap… she's pissed._

Mwu burst out laughing, we all turned and stared at him.

"What is so funny?" Cruset asked.

"She's not gonna come out that easily. You dragged her here, you think she's just gonna act like nothing's wrong? You're funny kid."

We all stared at him for a moment. "And she'd listen to you better?" Cruset asked.

"I dunno, possibly."

"Then do it."

Mwu frowned, "Why should I?"

"You're a prisoner on an enemy ship. Isn't that a good enough reason?"

"Not really."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed, they continued this for several minutes before Mwu shrugged and said, "She's probably not going to listen. No matter  _what_ I say." But he shifted so he was floating next to me.

"Kira?"

"Yes Mwu?"

"Will you please come out of the Strike?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm asking nicely?"

"Hmm… I guess."

_What?! That easily?!_  Mwu pushed back off the Strike and I did as well, giving Kira room. She came out without a problem. She refused to look in my direction, she glanced around at all of us, with her eyes lingering on the Earth Forces pilot, she seemed to be watching him for something. He gave a small nod after a moment, and she focused her gaze on the commander.

"I believe we should move, and let the both of you change into something more comfortable." She glanced at the other pilot, she seemed to be following his lead. He nodded, and we filed towards the locker rooms, we changed quickly, and then Mwu and Kira were allowed to change, it was a little discomforting when I noticed she was more concerned about us being in the locker room than Mwu.

_What is he to her?_  I felt the jealousy rising in me again, and I fought it down,  _I can't make a scene._

Kira had on a pair of jeans and a pink tank top on under the pilot's suit. When she had taken the helmet off we could see she had a small amount of makeup on. Mostly just around her eyes. I glanced at her hand; she still had the ring on.  _That's a good sign. There's still hope then._  She pulled a pony tail off her wrist and pulled her hair back in a low ponytail. She seemed to be acutely aware of everyone's eyes on her.

Mwu was wearing an Earth Forces uniform, he was a commander apparently.

After they both seemed a little more comfortable we walked into the overlook area. We had a perfect view of all five mobile suits, standing in all their glory. Kira frowned and sat on the ledge by the window, Mwu sat opposite of her. Her feet were sitting on the ledge with her back on the wall. She was leaning against the bullet proof glass, looking at the mobile suits. Mwu was sitting cross legged, watching her.

The commander signaled us all to sit down. The way the blond enemy pilot was watching Kira made me feel insanely protective, but that's exactly how he was looking at her, like he was trying to protect her.

"Miss Yamato?"

She glanced at the commander, a weary look in her eyes. "Yes?"

"You look exhausted." He said, sounding concerned; Mwu's head snapped over to him, a distrustful look in his eyes.

"Looks can be deceiving."

"I suppose. I hear you're a civilian?"

"I am."

"Why were you in the factory district during the invasion of Heliopolis then?" She looked up surprised, wondering how he knew. Her eyes slid over to me and narrowed.  _She knows I'm the only one that could have told him…_

"I was originally on the lab side. Two other student took a wrong turn and I followed them."

"Why were you in the lab area?"

"I was one of five students chosen to help Professor Kato with a research project."

"What was the research project?"

Kira rolled her eyes, "How should I know? You think they tell us research assistants anything?"

He frowned and nodded. "True, do you have any ideas of what it was?"

Kira rolled her eyes. "It was a program analysis."

"For what?"

Kira just shrugged. "Like I said, they don't tell the student assistants much." Cruset frowned, and Mwu was watching Kira closely, and raptly.  _Almost like this is the first time he's hearing it too…_

There was a long silence. A mechanic came in, and looked at Kira oddly.

"Is there a problem?" Cruset asked.

"Yes, sir. We can't seem to get past the lock on the O.S. of the Strike." We all looked at Kira, she just looked out the window.

"Damn Kira. I didn't think you'd manage to keep ZAFT out of it for this long."

Kira smiled, and looked at Mwu, "You told me to make sure no one else could operate it, and I did."

He laughed, "Yes, well, what you  _did_  to the O.S. alone would deter most people."

I shrugged. "I suppose. The old O.S. was crap; it needed a lot more work than I could do to it. It was faster to just redo the whole system."

"When did you have time?" Dearka asked startled.

She looked at him, surprised to hear someone else speak. She smiled, "I didn't."

"That's why it suddenly started to move better… you redid the system…" Miguel looked amazed.

"Yeah… something like that."

"Did I fight you or the officer with you?" Miguel asked.

She looked at him, "Both, mostly me." She looked back out at the hanger; we could see all kinds of people surrounding the Strike. None of them knew what to do; they'd made no progress since it had landed.

"Leave it be for now." The commander said to the mechanic. He saluted and walked out.

Kira pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  _She's protecting herself, and refusing to look at me… damnit… I wish I could just talk to her._

"Miss Yamato?"

She sighed, "Yes?"

"What caused you to fight against your own kind?"

Kira just shrugged, still looking out the window. Mwu nudged her foot, but she just shook her head, silently telling him no, to whatever he'd just communicated to her.

"Kira, since you are a civilian I want to assure you, you will be treated as such. That being said though, you will not be allowed to be left alone at any time. You will have a guard at all times." She frowned, but nodded. She had nothing to say.

"La Flaga," he looked at Cruset calmly. "I'm not sure what to do with you. For the time being, you shall be treated in the same manner, unless you give us reason to believe other arrangements are needed." He nodded also, keeping an eye on Kira.

"Unfortunately, we will have to deal with some rather awkward room assignments for the moment." I glanced at him, knowing I wasn't going to like this.

"You will have to share a room for the time being." They both just shrugged.  _What?! I don't want him anywhere near my Kira…_

The commander called two people from the bridge; he instructed the girl to take Kira to the showers and stay with her, then to escort her to her room, and remain there until further notice. The man was given similar instructions.

As soon as they were gone, I dropped my head into my hands and sighed.

"That was rough Athrun,"

"What do you mean?" Olor asked Rusty

"Dude, are you blind? She wouldn't even look at him!"

"Well, she kept her eyes glued to the mobile suits most of the time."

"True…"

The conversation was going on around me, and I couldn't really find the energy to participate.

"That was bad." Dearka said softly. "What are you going to do next Athrun?"

I paused not sure, "I'm going to give her a little time to calm down before I try and talk to her. I think it'd be wise to let my parent's know what happened."

The commander nodded, and said, "I think the whole council should know about the situation."

I nodded, not sure what he was thinking.

"I'll schedule a video conference with them; I want you all in meeting room 2, in one hour."

We saluted him, and he left. I sank back down into the couch, with my hands in my hair, pulling at it every now and then. My teammates had never seen me like this. I felt like my world was falling apart.

"The first time I've seen her in four years, and she tells me to fuck off, and refuses to look at me." I muttered, they all heard me though. Miguel sat next to me and set a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay Athrun. We'll help you through this."

I covered my face, I could feel hot tears running down my cheeks. I just shook my head.  _No, Miguel, Nicol, Rusty, Olor, Dearka, Yzak… none of you can help me now... I've screwed up to badly now…_

I felt the others come and gather around me, and I remembered the day I told them about Kira. They had all been supportive, and horrified to hear about our separation. We had all been connected, like a real team, that night. And I could feel the same connection again, now. They wanted to help, and they didn't want to see me like this but they also knew they couldn't do a damn thing about it yet…

After a few moments I regained my composure, and I stood up. Everyone, even Yzak, gave me a reassuring smile. "I… need to talk to her." They nodded, understanding. Everyone left except Miguel and Nicol; they walked with me towards her room. I hated that she shared it with Mwu, but I couldn't do anything about it.

 

End chapter 3.

Next chapter: What happens when Athrun goes to see Kira? And don't forget, it's Mwu's room too!

 


	4. I'm fine

Chapter 4: “I’m fine!”

* * *

_January 26, C.E. 71_

_0500 hours_

 

-Kira’s POV-

I followed the young woman that had been charged with watching me for what seemed like an endless amount of time.

“This is your room,” She said as she stopped and gestured to the door, “Anything they find in the cockpit will be brought to you when the mechanics have the time. You should go ahead and shower, I’ve already had a change of clothes put in the bathroom for you. They’ll be taking the Earth Forces Commander elsewhere to shower, and he will join you later.” She finish as she took her post on the left side of the door.

“Thank you.” I said with a nod as politely as I could, and the look of surprise on her face was totally worth it. I slipped in quickly and looked around, the room was basic with a set of bunk beds on one side and two sets of dressers on the opposite wall, with one desk and a TV screen on the opposite side of the door. I saw the door that led into what I assumed must be the bathroom and went in, wondering what time it was. I showered quickly and felt relieved to get all the sweat and grime off, I scrubbed the makeup off as well, annoyed with the way it felt on my skin. I heard a muffled door open and close, and assumed it was Mwu coming in, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

I climbed out of the shower and dried off; I glanced at myself in the mirror and cringed. My whole left side was bruised and if I moved the wrong way it hurt like hell. I looked around the bathroom and found some medical supplies, and I wrapped my ribs so that if it was broken, I wouldn’t make it worse. As I was dressing I heard voices through the door, so I quickly buttoned my pants up and pressed my ear to the door; not brave enough to try the shirt yet. I was in a lot of pain, and I hoped it would lesson soon.

“Where is Kira?” I heard a voice ask, but I couldn’t tell who.

“She’s in the bathroom.” I heard Mwu say in return.

“Still?” I heard the female voice ask, sounding alarmed, “She’s been in there for over an hour!” I heard footsteps move towards the door, and other people moving around the room. Before there was a brisk knocking on the door, “Ms. Yamato! Are you alright?”

I sighed before calling back, “I’m fine. What time is it?”

“It is 0632. Miss, I’m coming in.” I recognized the voice this time as the female soldier that had escorted me to the room, and before I could protest I heard the lock click back and the soldier stepped in. She looked right at me and I jerked my arms up to cover my chest with the towel, “Shit,” was all she said as she stared at me in what I could only call horror. She leaned back out and spoke, “Sir!”

“Yes Skyler?” I recognized the voice, it was Athrun and I sighed rather aggravated.

“I need a medic for Miss Yamato, sir!”

“I don’t want your damn medic!” I snapped from inside the bathroom, just thankful that this ‘Skylar’ woman was standing in such a way that no one could see me.

“Yes, you do.” Mwu called from in the room, “You already told me you thought your might have a cracked rib,” He called, and as soon as the words left his mouth I could hear a scramble of motion and someone calling for a medic, on the video phone I assumed.

I rolled my eyes and picked up my towel and wrapped it around the upper half of my body before storming into the room to see who was there, and Skyler moved out of the way quickly to avoid hurting me worse. I was surprised to see that all the pilots from earlier were standing in the room, along with the other young man that was told to keep an eye on Mwu.

There was a long moment where no one moved, shocked, I imagine, at finding themselves faced with a half-dressed me with only a towel for a top.

I looked right at Athrun, “I don’t want your damn medic!” I repeated trying to convey my annoyance without giving away my pain.   

* * *

 

-Athrun’s POV-

Kira barged out of the bathroom, and the first thing I noticed was how pale her skin was in comparison to the dark towel she was using to cover herself. She glared at me and snapped that she didn’t want the ‘damn medic’ but it was evident that she was in pain.

“Kira, sit down. It’s obvious you are hurt, and a cracked rib is not something to mess around with.” I told her, trying to stay calm and not just grab her and drag her to the medical office.

She rolled her eyes at me, before glancing over at the bed and walking over to it. Very. Slowly.

She sat down and started to cross her legs before she went white and just laid down with her right hand resting on her left side. There were a few moments of silence before the door to the room swung open and a doctor was standing there with her medical bag, and a nurse with her.

“What seems to be the problem here?” She asked briskly looking around the room and noticing Kira on the bed.

“Miss Yamato seems to have what could be a broken rib.” Skyler spoke to the doctor. The doctor walked over to Kira and looked at her for a moment before kicking all the men out of the room, including Mwu.

* * *

 

-Kira POV-

When all the men were out of the room the doctor looked at me again, “We can do this the easy way, where you do what I say; or the hard way, where I drag Zala in here to make you hold still so I can do my job. Which is it gonna be?”

I blinked staring at her in total shock for a minute, before sitting up slowly, and pulling the towel up so she could see the left side where it was already bandaged. “How did this happen?” She asked me as she began to undo the wrappings. “I’m not really sure, I took a lot of hits. I hit the control panel more than once. Any of it could have done it.” The doctor nodded, with a frown. “You’re a first generation, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You got hit really hard to cause this kind of damage.” She said as she touched my side and frowned. “You need to come with me to the medical office so I can get some x-rays.” I sighed and pulled the towel around myself before standing. The nurse came back in with a wheelchair. _When did she leave?_

I sat down without a fight and let her take me to where we needed to go, it hurt to bad to even try fighting anymore.

* * *

 

_0900 hours_

“Yes, Mother. Kira is with the doctor now.” Athrun said, sitting in the conference room with Nicol, Mwu, and his parents on the video phone.

“Have they said for sure what is wrong?” She asked with obvious worry.

“I haven’t been told anything yet. She’s been with Dr. Wilson for a few hours now.”

“I’m sure that Karmin will get her fixed up.” Patrick Zala said to his son.

“Yes, I did.” A voice from behind Athrun said, as they turned to see Kira in the wheelchair, with Dr. Karmin Smith pushing her into the room.

“Are you alright?” Mwu asked.

“I told you I was fine.” Kira said standing up and walking over to one of the empty oversized chairs.

“A cracked rib is not fine.” Dr Karmin said with a sharp note to her voice, Kira just shook her head and smiled.

“Athrun, she needs the bandages changed regularly, that can be done in or out of the medical office. She also has been given some powerful painkillers, and she needs to eat more. She’s too thin. Anymore problems Kira, just come find me.” She finished looking at Kira who agreed.

“Kira, darling, come here so I can see you, please?” Lenore requested, worried about her daughter-in-law to be.

Kira walked over slowly to where Athrun was in front of the video screen, it was then that Athrun noticed the shirt she was wearing. It was one of his older ones, it was to small for him, but it was large on her. He could understand why the doctor had chosen that shirt in particular, it was a button down in the front, and would be easier on her ribs instead of pulling one over her head. It had his last name embroidered on the front, and he wondered if Kira had fought the doctor about it. And, of course, it was the first thing that they all noticed, but no one wanted to comment on it.

“How are you feeling dear?”

“I’m okay, a bit tired; but I think that is the medicine. I’m not hurting or anything.”

“You should have mentioned your injury as soon as you were on board.” Patrick said sounding just like a very worried parent. “It could have gotten a lot worse.”

“I already had it bandaged! If no one had barged into the bathroom, no one would be any wiser.” Kira said sounding rather sour about it. She sat down next to Athrun on the love seat closest to the screen.

“We will talk about this more when you arrive here. Just rest for now dear.” Lenore said softly. Kira frowned but agreed. She needed to get some rest, it was already late in the day.

They said their goodbyes and shortly after Kira and Mwu were being escorted back to the room they were to stay in.

As soon as they were in the room Kira laid down on the bottom bunk with a groan, and Mwu laughed as he sat down at one of the desks. The door opened again and Skylar walked in this time.

“Do either of you have any dietary restrictions?” She asked politely.

“No.”

“None here.”

“Very good, I’ll be bringing your lunch shortly. Along with some more pain killers for you, Miss Yamato.” Skyler informed them before leaving again. Kira glanced at the clock to see that it was exactly noon.

“This is so freaking weird.” Kira said as she glanced over to where Mwu was sitting. He was grinning at her, looking carefree for the moment.

“You’re right about that, kid. I’m really surprised I haven’t been thrown in a cell yet.”

“They said we’re going to the PLANTs, what do you think will happen?”

“You’ll be released, you’re a civilian.”

“Even though I’ve been made aware of military secrets, by being aboard two different military ships?”

“I doubt that it’ll matter, they might make you sign a confidentiality agreement before you’re released.”

“What will happen to you?”

“Don’t worry about me Kira.”

“That’s not an answer Mwu.” Kira responded sitting up to give him a serious look.

“I really am not sure, normally I’d be treated as a POW, but I don’t know what they will do. Based on their current behavior, it’s hard to tell. Don’t waste time worrying over it. There’s not anything we can do anyway.”

“I guess. I’m worried about my friends too. They’re stuck on the ArchAngel with no protection now.”

“Would you rather be fighting your fiancé?”

“Of course not!” Kira snapped.

“So, Athrun Zala, huh? When did _that_ happen?”

“We met when we were 7, and were engaged when we were 9. He moved to the PLANTs when we were 13. That’s when he gave me this ring. He had a matching ring that he wore on a chain around his neck.” She said as she lifted her hand.

“So, you haven’t seen your fiancé in four years? Does it even still count as an engagement?”

“I haven’t really spoken to him in all that time either. My family moved to Heliopolis a few months after he moved, and we lost contact after that. And really, I have no idea if it counts. I dunno if he still even has the other ring. I guess I just need to talk to him, but I’m so angry with him now that I don’t think it would do either of us any good.” She sighed before laying back down.

“Well, maybe you need to forgive him.”

“Maybe.”

The room fell into silence before Skylar returned with their dinner, and she informed them that they would arrive on the PLANTs in a few days.

Kira and Mwu ate quickly before settling in to get some rest, even though it was only 2pm. After all, they had not slept at all the night before.  

* * *

 

_January 27, C.E. 71_

_0500 hours_

(Athrun’s POV)

I stared blankly at the white ceiling above my bunk and let my mind wander.

_Kira… what now? I know you are angry with me for dragging you here, but what else could I have done? Yzak wouldn’t have stopped until you were destroyed, and I love you too much to allow that… You still wear my ring, does that mean you feel the same? Or is it merely an old habit that you never stopped. Mom and Dad seemed to think it was a good thing, but I don’t know. I want to talk to you, but you are so angry that there seems to be no point. I’m sorry I did what I said I wouldn’t but if you’d let me explain, you would understand…_

I felt the cold metal against my skin and lifted the silver chain that held my ring up so that I could see it. It caught that light from my desk lamp in such a way that it shined even in the almost total darkness of the shared bedroom. I remembered the day that I bought it, and its match, like it was only yesterday, even though it had been four excruciatingly long years.

“Does it fit still?” I looked over to see Rusty watching me. I dropped the ring back against my chest, “I had it re-sized in September.”

“Oh, before graduation?”

“Exactly.”

There was a long silence before he asked, “Does she know?”

“What?” I rolled to my side, feeling the chain shift as I moved to look at Rusty.

“Does she know that you still have it, or that you had it refitted?”

“No, we haven’t exactly talked since she came on board.” I snapped, a bit annoyed.

“She’s furious with you.” He commented.

“I think that’s obvious.”

The room fell into silence again, “Athrun, man, I’m sorry. I know you’re going through a lot of shit right now. I shouldn’t have asked. But, are you going to talk to her?”

“I need to, but I don’t know that she’d be willing to talk to me. I dragged her against her will after all.”

“It’ll work out, now, come on dude. We got shit to do before we eat.” He said laughing as he stood up in nothing but his boxers. I sighed and rolled out of bed, heading to the shower. _It’s gonna be a long day._

* * *

 

_0700 hours_

Skylar glanced at the clock on the wall opposite of her and decided it was time to make sure that her charge was awake, because breakfast was in an hour. She stepped in front of the door and it slid open with a ‘whoosh’ and Skylar was surprised to see Kira was up and Mwu was out of sight.

“Good Morning.” Kira said as soon as she saw her.

“Good morning, Miss Yamato. Is La Flaga up as well?”

“Mwu is in the shower, he’ll be out soon.” Kira said with a smile.

“Very good, because breakfast starts at 0800. Do you need any pain medication or did Dr. Smith bring it already?”

“She brought it to me earlier, but I have to go back tonight, so she can change the wraps and check on my healing.”

Before Skylar could say anything else Mwu stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed. “Ready for breakfast?” Skylar asked him.

“Of course, I’d never say no to food. Especially since the food here seems to be pretty decent.”

Skylar smiled, “Alright, follow me please. Miss Yamato, would you like a wheelchair?”

“No, and please, call me Kira.”

“Yes, Kira. And just let me know if you do need one. I would be happy to get one for you.”

Kira and Mwu followed Skylar through many twists and turns in the halls, and finally reached the mess hall. Mwu held the door for Skylar and Kira, and followed them over to the line. They each grabbed a tray before Skylar led them over to a table, where the Le Cruset team was seated.

“Good morning,” Kira greeted as she settled down at the table sitting across from Mwu. Skylar was sitting on her right, and Rusty on her left.

“Did you both sleep well?” Nicol asked, trying to be polite.

“Yes.” Mwu said shortly, but not being rude.

“As well as can be expected.” Kira said with a smile, and a bit of a grimace.

“Are you alright?” Rusty asked, scooting over so that she would have a bit more room.

“Yes, the painkillers just haven’t kicked in quite yet.” Kira said with a smile, looking at everyone at the table, her gaze avoiding Athrun’s eyes even though he was looking right at her. A silence fell over the table as everyone ate.

Kira could feel the weight of eyes on her, and she kept her eyes down. Doing her best to avoid looking at anyone. She knew they were staring, and so did everyone else. Every few minutes one of the men at the table would try to start up a conversation, but they all died a short death.

Before much longer, everyone had cleared their plates and as Kira and Mwu were getting ready to follow Skylar back to the room she spoke, “We won’t be going straight back to the room, as there has been a change. La Flaga, you will be moving into a room with Miguel. Kira, you will be staying in a room with myself.”

Mwu was directed to go with Miguel, who had just walked out of the mess hall, and Kira followed Skylar.

* * *

 

_Kira’s room, 1100 hours_

“So, Kira, this is your new room, I’ve got the top bunk, and as you can see, all of your stuff has already been brought here for you.” She looked around and thought that it looked the same as the other room, so it must be standard for ZAFT.

“Thank you, if you don’t mind I’m going to lay down though.”

“Go ahead, I know you need the rest with your injury. But first I wanted to let you know, you won’t be able to leave this room without this.” She said as she handed Kira, what appeared to be just a regular watch. It showed the time, in military format, and the date. “It has a sort of GPS in it.” Skylar continued. “Just in case, no one really thinks you’ll try anything, everyone here wears one. More as a safety thing, than anything else.” Skylar finished as she lifted her arm to show her own, which was almost identical to the one that she had handed Kira.

“Also, you won’t be able to get into any secured areas without a red elite, or anyone assigned as a ‘prisoner guard.’”

“Secured areas?” Kira asked.

“Mostly just the bridge and hanger, not anywhere where you would really need to be by yourself.”

“Oh, I have no reason to be in either of those places.”

“Exactly, well, get some rest. If you need help or get lost, anyone can help you. Just ask. Everyone knows who you are now, and that Athrun was the one responsible for dragging you aboard, so a lot of people are worried about upsetting him; so you don’t have to worry about anyone being rude to you.” She said with a grin, before she slipped into the bathroom.

Kira stood there for a moment, not sure what to think about that last part, before looking at the tracker and slipping it onto her wrist. _Might as well, I don’t wanna be stuck in this room all the time._

Kira carefully removed her shoes, before crawling into the bed. She was still exhausted, she had been tossing and turning all night. _The pain killers have finally kicked back in, maybe I can get some real sleep now…_

 Kira closed her eyes and tried to relax. _Mom, Dad, where are you? Did you make it back to the main island safely? I pray you did, and I truly hope that you know I did not die in the attack. I’m safe, to a degree._

_Mir, Tolle, I hope you’re both okay. I hate that you’re stuck on that ship, especially now that there is no protection to keep you safe. Captain Ramius seems to have a lot of sense about her though, surely she would not allow civilians to be put in harms way. There are many international laws about involving civilians in combat, and about them being in combat zones. I wish there was something that I could do…_

Kira drifted off as the pain killers fully set in.

* * *

 

On the Arch Angel

_January 27, C.E. 71_

_1152 hours_

“Tolle, what do you think will happen to Kira?”

“I dunno, Mir. She’s a civilian, like we both are, but she was piloting that mobile suit. It might make them think she is guilty of something.” Tolle said with a deep frown. He and Mir both had deep worry lines showing on their skin. “All we can do, is keep praying that she, and Commander La Flaga will be okay.”

“Hey! Are you two alright?” A new, third voice cut in.

“Captain Ramius!” They both greeted, trying their best to smile.

“I know you are both worried, I am trying to get an Orb ship out here to retrieve you both, I know you only offered to help because of Kira.”

“What will happen to this ship?”

“We will go to Artimus, and get into contact with EA headquarters.”

“Okay, thank you, Captain.”

“Get some rest kids. Hopefully you’ll be going home very soon.”

\--

To be continued…

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	5. The Talks and The Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

Chapter 5: The Talks, and the choices

* * *

 

_January 27, C.E. 71_

_1400 hours_

 

Athrun sighed as he walked down one of the many hallways that consisted of the Gamow, as he headed to Kira and Skylar’s room. Since Kira had agreed to the GPS tracker, Skylar had been returned to duty on the bridge; and Kira had never showed for lunch.

Athrun was on the way to check on Kira, and he hoped for the chance to talk to her, privately. He assumed that she was asleep, considering that she was on rather powerful painkillers.

After a few more minutes walking, and silently pondering about the current situation; he reached her room. The door slid open, to a pitch black room, Athrun reached over and flicked the light on, put only enough so that he could see. “Kira?” he called softly, not wanting to startle her.

She jumped and hissed when the pain raced up her side, “Fuck!”

“Kira! Are you okay?” Athrun asked as he rushed to her side, “What do you need?”

“Meds. On the desk.” She managed to say, and Athrun rushed over to get them; and he had the sense to grab the water bottle that was sitting there as well. Athrun quickly opened the bottle and gave her the medicine, and she quickly took them. She had her hands resting on her side, the pain obvious, and it made Athrun feel horrible for causing it.

“I’m sorry, I was trying not to startle you.”

“It’s alright,” she said after a moment, slowly letting out a long slow breath. “Did you need something?”

“I came to check on you, since you never showed up for lunch.”

“What time is it?” She asked, looking surprised.

“1400. I thought you might have just been running late, but when it turned to 1330 I got concerned.”

“Oh, thank you. I fell asleep shortly after I got back here, I guess I was just so tired that I slept through.” Kira said with a embarrassed smile, looking at the floor.

“You’re welcome, are you hungry now? I can take you to the mess hall. They always have something or other in there, since we have people working all hours.”

“Uhm, no, not really hungry. Maybe just a snack.”

“Okay,” Athrun said with a smile, waiting for Kira to finish putting her shoes back on. Kira stood slowly, and followed Athrun through the halls, trying to memorize them. The two were silent through the whole walk, and Kira just grabbed a snack and sat down. Athrun sat down with her, and it was a bit of an awkward silence. Athrun and Kira both just tried to discreetly watch either other, but not really sure what to say.

“Did Skylar get the chance to show you around before she went back to work?” Athrun asked suddenly.

“No, not really. I haven’t really been anywhere else other than my room.”

“Would you like to walk around? Or would that bother your side?”

“Uhm, no it doesn’t bother me, unless I make sudden movements. I think it’s healing nicely.”

“Okay, well, we have a lounging area where a lot of us spend time to relax. Other than sitting in our rooms all the time.”

“Alright,” Kira said as she started to stand, with Athrun offering his hand to assist her.

Athrun led her to the room, and to his surprise it is empty. “That’s strange, there is almost always someone in here.”

“That’s okay.” Kira said as she walked over to a couch that looked soft and she sat down in the middle, leaning back with a content look on her face.

Athrun walked over to join her, and sat next to her hesitantly. “Kira, I did want to talk to you about something.”

“Hm?”

“How did your friends end up on a war ship?”

“The same way I did, remember? I said I followed two other students. We were all working together, and we all ended up lost.”

“So, they’re both civilians.”

“Yeah, Mir and Tolle could never stomach fighting in a war.”

The two fell into silence after that, and neither seemed to know what to say.

“Athrun?”

“Ya, Kira?”

“Why… why did there have to be a war?” Kira was staring at her hands in her lap, and refusing to look at Athrun; even though she could feel his eyes on her.

“I don’t think it could have been avoided, Kira. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I believe that is the truth.”

“Why? What could have happened that would make war sound like a better idea, than trying to make a treaty?!”

“Kira, do you know what happened after the moon tragedy?”

“What do you mean? About ZAFT getting blamed? Ya, I am aware, but I also know there was a lot of mistakes, and the truth was uncovered; and everyone is still hunting out the Blue Cosmos leaders for what happened.”

“That’s just the problem, the leaders of Blue Cosmos, they are entirely responsible for what happened. Everyone is aware of that, but they are also the ones that are making a lot of major decisions in the EA military.”

“What?” Kira whispered, horror in her voice.

“The biggest player is Azrael, he is the biggest campaigner for Blue Cosmos, and their “Blue and Pure World”, but he is also in charge of three military bases of the EA. His personal goal is to destroy all coordinators; no matter of guilt or innocence.”

“But, the EA…!”

“Father, hell, the whole council tried to tell them. They won’t listen. They claim that he has absolutely nothing to do with the Blue Cosmos elitists. But, there have been threats against every council member, and their families. Also, the day before we declared war, they threatened to nuke every single PLANT, and that’s not a risk anyone was willing to take.”

“That’s why the first thing ZAFT did was send out jammers.”

“Ya.” Athrun said after a pause, “I was horrified when we heard that Orb was allowing the EA to use Heliopolis to build those machines. As soon as we heard, we knew we had to do something.”

“What was the goal?”

“Just to remove the machines, I swear. Everything else that happened, it was not supposed to happen, at all.”

“What happened then?”

“Just one mess after another. We never wanted to damage the satellite.”

“It was destroyed.”

“I know. And thousands of people lost their homes, but it was not supposed to happen that way.” Athrun said with a frown, but he sounded determined. He believed what he was saying.

“What does ZAFT, the council, want in the long term?”

“The same thing that everyone else wants, we just want peace. I believe that everyone could live in harmony, if it weren’t for the Blue Cosmos fools.”

The two sat in silence for a long time, not sure what to say to each other. Athrun looked at the clocked and noticed it was getting late. “Kira, I need to be going. Sorry, but I need to go meet with the Commander.”

“Oh, alright. I need to go get my ribs checked again anyway.” Kira said with a smile, as Athrun stood and offered her a hand to help her up. After Athrun pulled her to her feet he didn’t let go of her hand right away, instead he squeezed it and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her hand.

“Kira, I know you’re angry; but I do still love you.” He said looking her in the eyes before dropping her hand and walking out.

Kira stood there for a few moments, surprised by his actions. Before shaking her head and walking to the medical office to find Dr. Karmin. Kira glanced at her watch, and say that it was already 1800. _6pm, we were here for 4 hours? Damn, time really flies._

Kira arrived at the office to see the Doctor sitting in her office, eating dinner. Kira knocked on the side of the door, to get her attention. She looked up and waved at Kira to come in. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. I had planned to come earlier, and lost track of time.”

“It’s alright. What were you doing that made you lose track of time?”

“Athrun wanted to talk to me, we ended up spending a few hours in the lounge talking.”

“Oh, well here let me see your side,” She said and Kira unbuttoned her shirt and Karmin removed the wrappings around her. “It looks a lot better, it’s not all black and blue now. How does it feel?”

“It’s alright now, it hurt earlier because Athrun surprised me and I jerked pretty badly.”

Karmin nodded to what Kira had said, “Dr. Karmin, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you volunteer with ZAFT?”

Karmin looked at her surprised at the question, “I don’t mind at all, but, why are you asking me such a thing Kira?”

“Athrun told me some things today, and it’s… made me wonder about some of the people around him.”

“Ah. Well, I joined shortly after the moon tragedy, like many other people here. I had a younger sister, she was ten, she was attending school during the attack. All I want is for there to be peace, there is no reason for that many people, that many children to die. It is inexcusable. Even worse so, that ZAFT was blamed at first, even though we had been fighting to keep a war from starting.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kira said to her sounding truly upset over the loss.

“It’s alright, I’ve mourned her enough. Although I will always miss her.”

“Of course, you can’t just get over a loss like that.”

“Well, Kira you need to get to dinner, and use the pain killers if you need them. Don’t be stubborn about it.”

“I will, thank you; and thank you for answering my questions.”

“Of course.”

* * *

 

_January 30, C.E. 71_

_\----------_

_What do I do? I wish I could talk to mom right now… she would know what to do._ Kira sighed and stood, deciding that she had been holed up in her room for long enough. Hiding in her room from everyone else was not doing any good for anyone.

She stood and went to breakfast, and saw that it seemed like she was the last one there. Ever since day one the Le Cruset team, Skylar, Mwu and Kira had always sat at the same table; but not always together. She actually hadn’t talked to Mwu in a few days, and she usually only saw Skylar right before she left for her shift, or right when she got back. _I wonder if Mwu knows about Blue Cosmos, maybe I should talk to him about it… Maybe he can help me sort all this out._

Kira sat down across from Mwu and noticed that he was almost done with his food, so Kira nudged his leg with her foot to get his attention. He glanced at her in surprise and smiled at her. _I hope he gets what I mean…_

He finished his food shortly after and excused himself. _Shit. Maybe not._ Kira finished eating, and excused herself quickly without talking to anyone else. _I wonder where he went…_ Just as the thought passed through her head, she saw that Mwu was leaning against the wall just down the hall, waiting.

“Everything okay, Kid?” He asked her with a worried look.

“Yes, No, I’m not really sure…”

“Come on, kid. Let’s go sit down and talk.” He said with a hand gesture to go down the hall, towards the lounge. Kira followed him, just trailing behind by a step or two.

They arrived at the once again, deserted lounge. Kira settled down on a large love seat, that she laid down on, on her side, with Mwu taking a seat in a chair that was across from her.

“What’s on your mind kid?”

“Heh. A lot. I talked with Athrun the other day,”

“I wondered why you had been so silent lately.”

“Ya, he told me some things that I was not prepared to hear.”

“About the EA and Blue Cosmos?” Mwu asked with a knowing look.

“Ya, how did you know?!”

“Le Cruset pulled me into his office two days ago, and he put me on the line with the Supreme Council. They told me everything, and they had proof; otherwise I never would have believed it.”

“I dunno what to think Mwu, I mean…”

“Ya kid. I know. I don’t think I can go back now. Not now that I know this.”

“What will you do Mwu?”

“Not really sure yet kid. We should be to the PLANTs before long. You ready to go home?”

“Ya, I guess.” Mwu looked very startled.

“You guess? I’d think you’d be dying to go home. Did something else happen?”

“Well, sorta. Athrun… he said he still loves me, and I guess he just caught me off guard. I’m… scared for him.”

“War is always scary. For everyone. I was always worried that the pilot I was fighting would be better, faster, smarter, stronger. I was always afraid that it would be the last time I ever launched, the last time I saw my friends. The last time I protected the people that I swore I would. But I launched every time, with no regrets. I was fighting for something I believed in. Now, I couldn’t say that though. It’s a decision that every person has to make for themselves.”

There was a long pause, “Sorry kid. Didn’t mean to run off on a rant like that.” He said with an apologetic grin.

“No, that’s okay Mwu. I needed to hear it.”

“You haven’t talk to him since have you?”

“No… I haven’t.”

“Well, if you’re scared for him, maybe that means something Kira. I don’t pretend to know anything about either of you, not really at least; but maybe all he needs is the girl he loves to support him. That kind of faith can make a man unstoppable. Just talk to him, it might clear up some of your own doubts.”

“Ya, I think I need to.” Kira said with a thoughtful look. “I think I’ll go find him now.” She said as she stood up and smiled at Mwu.

Just as Mwu was about to respond alarms started sounding through the room. “Attention! All hands to Level One Battle Stations! Attention! All hands to level one battle stations!”

Kira looked at Mwu with absolute horror on her face. “No.” she whispered, and Mwu could understand the dread she was feeling, but before he could say anything to console her Skylar appeared at the door.

“You both need to come with me, the Commander is requesting you on the bridge.” She said with a rushed edge in her voice. They both moved quickly to follow her, and they reached the bridge quickly. As soon as they entered the tension in the room could be felt, everyone was alert.

“Thank you Private. Miss Yamato, Mr. La Flaga, please come take a seat here.” It was Commander Le Cruset that was speaking. Kira did as he asked, but Mwu stared at him for a moment before complying.

Mwu reached over and squeezed Kira’s hand, hoping to calm her nerves. Le Cruset turned back to the front and spoke. “Johnson, please pull up a link to the hanger.”

“Yes, sir!” was the quick reply as the link opened.

“Commander!” The voice spoke with nothing but respect, Kira recognized it as Olor, and wondered why he wasn’t in a mobile suit.

“Are the boys ready?”

“Yes, sir!” as he received the reply more screens opened, showing Athrun, Dearka, Yzak, Nicol and Rusty all suited up and ready to launch. All of them were looking at the Commander, but Miguel was nowhere to be seen.

“You are facing an Archangel-class assault ship. We have confirmed launch of six mobile suits. Take care of yourselves.”

“Yzak Joule, Duel, launching!”

“Dearka Elsman, Buster, launching!”

“Nicol Amalfi, Blitz, launching!”

“Rusty Mackenzie, Cruiser, launching!”

Athrun looked at Kira, and saw that she was holding her ring to her heart, and she looked scared. _I will not let you be harmed… never._ “Athrun Zala, Aegis, launching!”

Kira watched as they launched and heard a few others launching as well, but they seemed to stay back out of the GUNDAMs ways. Mwu and Kira both watched closely as Rusty took the lead against the EA mobile suits, the amount of teamwork they were showing was almost breathtaking. Almost as if they knew what the other was going to do before they did it.  

The Earth Forces charged at them with what you could almost call recklessness. Firing shots everywhere, not at all concerned if they were going to hit one another.

“Reckless. They don’t care if they’re going to hit each other.” Cruset said after a moment of watching.

“Brace for impact!” A voice shouted suddenly, seconds before the ship was hit, hard; Kira was almost thrown out of her seat from the force of it.

The attack had come from the other ship, and it seemed like Athrun and Nicol were rushing to deal with that threat before they could get another shot out.

* * *

 

_Athrun’s POV_

_1023 hours, Aegis cockpit_

 

“FUCK! They hit the Gamow!” Rusty was shouting, with pure fury in his voice.

“I’m going after the ship, Nicol cover me!” I snapped, feeling the rage in my very veins. _Kira, you better be okay._

“Roger!” Nicol said as he flew off after me. Rusty, Dearka, and Yzak were dealing with the mobile suits; who were firing at random. Hitting both us, and friendly fire. _This is fucking insane. What kind of pilot fires when he knows he’ll hit a comrade!_

“Dearka behind you!” I heard Yzak screaming at him, as I rushed towards the battle ship. As soon as Nicol and I got close enough to the ship we started taking out all their weapons, hoping to disable it before dealing with the mobile suits again.

We were making quick work of the biggest problems as far as weapons were concerned, before I noticed that Dearka was getting surrounded while Rusty and Yzak were busy with the other three suits.

“Dearka! Behind you!” I snapped as I rushed to help him. _I will not see a comrade fall if I can help it. Never._

I took a hard hit from the side when the two mobile suits that were behind Dearka, rushed me and one of them slammed into me. Soon after that Miguel and Olor got involved in their Ginn’s. Suddenly in a flash of sparks, one of the EA machines fell to friendly fire as the attacker lunged for Yzak, who dodged easily and destroyed that machine as well. The other four machines retreated shortly after, and the ZAFT soldiers all fell back.

“Zala! You alright, your heads covered in blood?” Yzak called.

“I’ll be fine, just a cut from the impact.”

“You better be,” Rusty said with a grin, “Because if you make Kira cry, I’m gonna have to kill you.”

_What the fuck?_ “Stay away from Kira.” Was all I could think so say.

“Feeling possessive?” Miguel asked me with a grin.

 “Fuckers, the both of you.” I snapped, before rushing back to the Gamow. I could hear them both laughing, and swore to get them back later. Right now, I just wanted to take a shower and get the blood off me before it started to itch.

* * *

To be continued…

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	6. Safety

I am going to try to update this every other Saturday. I don't know how well that will work out, but I will try. ALSO, if I get more than 10 reviews a chapter, you will get an extra chapter, in addition to the Saturday update.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

 

Chapter 6: Safety

* * *

 

_January 30, C.E. 71_

_1151 hours_

 

Kira ran from the bridge to the hanger, and was a bit surprised when the doors opened without a pause.  _Oh right, Skylar said that if there was a red elite I could go into secured areas…_  The thought was brief and fleeting and she ran in, looking for Athrun. She almost crashed straight into Rusty, and he caught her, making sure she did not fall and get injured worse. "Where-?" Rusty cut her off before she could finish.

"He's over by the Aegis still, he hit his head pretty good, so don't let the blood scare you. He'll be fine." He said as he pointed over to the Aegis, where she saw Athrun coming down without his helmet on, and she could see the blood from where there were, on the other side of the hanger. The dread made her almost physically ill, as she jerked away from Rusty and ran to where Athrun was, slipping by Miguel and Nicol before reaching Athrun.

Kira slid to a stop right before she ran into him, and he looked at her surprised before she grabbed him in a hug, and refused to let go. He wrapped his arms around her, and just held her, not really sure why she was holding him as if she would die if she let go, but he didn't mind it; even thought his scalp was starting to itch from the drying blood.

"Kira…" He whispered, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she said, as she pulled back a little and reached up to touch his head, "but you are not. I imagine this stings a little too." She whispered as she ghosted her fingers over the cut. "Zala! Get your ass to the medic!" Yzak shouted from where he was by the Duel. "You look like a fucking zombie!"

Athrun laughed, when he saw that Kira was smiling, before he pulled her along with him on the way to the medical office, when they rounded the corner they say Dr. Karmin standing outside, waiting.

"Get in here Athrun. That looks like it hurts."

"Itches more than anything." He responded, as he walked in with Kira trailing behind.

"You know the drill, Zala. Shirt off and lay down." She was pulling medical supplies out of one of the cabinets on the far wall, before turning and scrubbing her hands.

"Ya, ya, I know." He replied to the doctor before unzipping his flight suit, revealing a white t-shirt and pair of black shorts underneath it. He pulled the shirt over his head and Kira noticed the chain with his ring on it, shining in the light. Then she noticed that he had several small bruises on his torso. He smiled at Kira, who had sat down in a chair, off to the side and outta the way before laying down on his back and turning his head to watch the doctor approach.

Karmin started off by cleaning the dried blood from his head with a soft sponge. He jumped when she first touched him with it. "That's cold," he said before settling back down and holding still. Karmin made sure to get the wound cleaned thoroughly, before putting a wrap over it to keep it from bleeding again. Then she went on to check his temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. She also checked to see if he had a concussion, which he did not. "Anything hurt more than you expect?"

"No, I feel fine. Just my head."

"Alright, these bruises should go away in a day or two. If they don't come find me, or if you feel off. I don't wanna risk any internal injuries; although that really shouldn't be any concern. Just don't push it until your head is better."

"I know, Karmin."

"Good. Take some pain medicine, and relax for a while. I know the commander wants you to run diagnostics on the Aegis; but take it easy, or you might aggravate it. Come see me tomorrow so I can check it again."

"Can I go?" He asked as he sat up, he heard Kira move but didn't pay much attention to what she was doing.

"Yeah, you're good. Send Dearka down here though."

"Sure." Athrun replied as he turned to get his shirt and found himself face to face with Kira, who had a wet paper towel in her hand. Athrun stopped and she reached over and ran it along his eyebrow, he closed that eye on reflex, and when she pulled it away; it was red.  _Oh._ Before she stepped back though, she reached down and touched his ring, with a soft smile. She stepped back and handed Athrun his shirt, after she threw away the paper towel.

"See you both later." Dr Karmin called with a smile, as they left.

There was a long pause when they stepped outside the office, "Uhm…" Kira started before Athrun cut her off.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled his shirt back on, "Sorry, but I have to get back to the Aegis,"

"Do… do you mind if I come with you?" Kira asked, blushing slightly.

Athrun blinked, a bit surprised at the request, "Of course, I would love that," he said, as he reached for her hand to lead her back to the hanger. They reached it shortly, and he called out to Dearka that Dr. Karmin wanted to see him.

Kira watched as Dearka climbed out of his mobile suit and came down on the tow line, grumbling the whole time, "Did she say why?"

"You know she didn't." Athrun said with a laugh as he passed.

"Come on Kira, it'll lift us both." He said as he pulled her to his chest, with an arm around her waist. Kira looped her arms around him as well, and up they went. Kira looked around the busy hanger, and was struck by the unity of it all. Everyone was working in teams, to get everyone taken care of, in case of a second attack.

"Is it always like this?" Kira asked, as Athrun stepped off and held the line for her. "What do you mean?" He asked, and she gestured with her hand towards everyone on the ground floor working seamlessly. "Does everyone always work together so well?"

"Well, ya, that's the only way we'd ever get all of our work done. We're a team."

"It's… interesting to watch." Kira said softly, as she turned to see Athrun dropping into the cockpit, she followed and sat on the ledge of the Aegis, watching him start it up.

She leaned back resting against the panel, just watching him. He was slouched against the seat, with one foot crossed, resting on the seat; and the other resting on the floor; with one hand on his knee and the other hand resting on the keyboard, fingers tapping a pattern as he waited for the screen to load. The sight reminded Kira, that they were both just teenagers; stuck in the middle of a bloody war that they had no business fighting.

"Kira?" she heard her name called, and jerked back to reality, to realize that Athrun had been speaking to her.

"Uh, sorry. Spaced out." Kira said with a blush.

"It's alright, I was just saying that this might take a while, so don't feel like you have to stay."

"Oh, no, that's okay. I don't really have anything better to do. I don't mind watching you work."

"Alright, if you're sure." He said, before turning back to the screen. Kira watched for a moment, as the screen flicked on, and he started typing, rapidly. It reminded her of the time that Mwu had watched her working, and had commented that she was 'just something else'.

Kira smiled before looking back out over the hanger, her eyes lingering on the Strike.  _Should I unlock it… so that it can be used to fight back? Or should I leave it as it is, and know that it has never taken a life…_

"Athrun?"

"Ya?" He replied looking up at her.

"What do you think of your teammates?"

"Hm?" He said, looking at her curiously. "We all get along, the majority of the time. I mean, there has been an occasion or two where we've fought about something or other. But if anyone was listening to our radio line when we're in battle though, you'd think that we hate each other."

"Nicol is amazing, even if he is really innocent and naïve. Dearka and Yzak have been friends for years, they went to school together. Rusty, Olor and Miguel were in our group at basic training as well. Yzak and I were always in competition at school, fighting for the top spot; we enlisted on the same day too. Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious, you don't really talk about them." She responded and he nodded before continuing, "We were stuck with each other in training for seven months, you learn to get along with a person when you know you don't have a choice." He said with a grin.

"Kira, I really missed you." Kira looked to him surprised, waiting for him to continue. "When I heard about the attack on the moon, I feared the worst. I thought you were gone, that I'd never see you again. I was in shock for a long time, I think. I just wanted the pain and grief to end, and I knew that the military would be a great distraction. I will never regret what I do though, even if it makes me a killer."

"It's a war, Athrun. Sadly, it's kill or be killed a lot of the time." They both fell into silence once again, as Athrun tapped away at the keys, flying from one screen to another; making sure everything was as it should be.

"I was terrified," Kira admitted after a moment, quietly. Athrun stopped typing and turned to her, "When the mobile suit hit you on the side, I think my heart stopped, I know we've had our difference and been apart for a long time, but Athrun, I do still care for you… I don't want to see you fight, or at the least I want to help."

"You are helping me, Kira. Your support gives me something to fight for." Athrun replied to her, as he watched her, and she watched him.

"That's not… not what I meant." She said, as she looked away.

"What do you mean then?"

"I love you." She blurted out, quickly, blushing.

Athrun looked a bit surprised at the sudden confession, but he shoved the keyboard away, and stood; pulling her off the ledge and onto the seat with him. "I love you too, Kira." He whispered to her before placing a gentle kiss against her lips, fire burning through his veins. The kiss, chaste as it was, still stole her breath away. She sat back and opened her mouth to say something before a loud banging cut her off.

"Athrun! What are you doing in there!?" It was Miguel, and he suddenly popped up over the edge, and was struck silent in surprise at seeing Kira and Athrun sitting together in the pilots chair. "Oops." He said with a knowing smirk. Athrun rolled his eyes, and shifted so that Kira fell back against his chest, as he pulled the keyboard back out. "I'm done, just letting the system run some extra analyses so that the mechanics are happy."

"Alright, you've been up here forever." He said in a teasing tone. "I wanted to make sure you hadn't hit your head and knocked yourself out or something."

"As you can see, I'm fine."

"More than fine." Miguel replied, "See you later," he said before he climbed back down.

"Sorry about him," Athrun said softly in Kira's ear, "He can be kind of an ass sometimes, but he really means well."

"It's okay." Kira whispered, as she shifted in his lap so that she was sitting sideways, her head resting against his chest. They sat there, for a long time, just relaxing in the others presence, before Kira reached up and placed a gentle kiss against Athrun's neck, causing him to shiver. Kira stood then, and climbed back onto the ledge, noticing that a lot of people were gone now.

"Athrun," she said, without looking at him. "Yeah?"

She hesitated,  _Should I unlock it or not…_

"Nothing…" Kira said as she trailed off into thought, before climbing down the tow line. Athrun watched as Kira walked over to the Strike, and ran her hand across the cool metal before stepping onto the Strike's tow line.

"Kira?" Athrun called, wondering what she was doing. Kira waved over at him as she climbed into the Strike's cockpit. Athrun quickly went to see what she was doing, praying she wasn't about to start a fight.

Athrun reached the Strike's cockpit quickly, and looked into it to see Kira sitting in the pilot's chair, just tapping away at the keyboard. Athrun watched for a moment, and saw that Kira had unlocked the system. "Kira?" Athrun asked, wondering what she was doing.

Kira turned and looked at him, "What's the point of it just sitting here? At least now, it can be used, if necessary." She told him, with a nervous smile.

"Kira…" he whispered, surprised.

* * *

 

_2230 hours_

"Athrun, what did you want to talk about?" Commander Le Cruset asked, all of his team were assembled, and he knew that Athrun should be resting.

"I just wanted to inform you, this afternoon, Kira unlocked the Strike."

"Oh, really? I wonder what prompted her to do such a thing."

"I believe seeing the battle this morning shook her, and she just made a comment that, 'This way, it can be used, if necessary.'"

"I see. Thank you, Athrun. All of you are dismissed; get some rest."

"Sir!" The seven boys saluted before filing out of the office.

"Athrun?" Olor called to him.

"Yeah?"

"What does Kira plan on doing now?"

"She just wants to go back home. I can't really blame her either; she has always hated war,"

"I just think it's strange for her to suddenly do something like that." Olor said.

"Yeah, it is a bit strange. But she was really upset when she saw me when we first got back. Maybe that has something to do with it." Athrun said with a shrug, not really worried about it.

"Maybe."

* * *

 

_February 5, C.E. 71_

_Gamow ship, ZAFT military base_

 

"We're finally here." Mwu said, glancing at Kira who was looking out the glass pane, watching the crew scramble around to prepare for the docking.

"Yeah," Kira whispered.

"Did you make up your mind?" Mwu asked her, as he watched outside as well. Kira turned and looked at him in a little bit of surprise, "Yea, I think I did."

Mwu nodded. "Good luck, kid. Just make sure you do what you really want; not what others want you to do. That was my mistake."

"What are you going to do?" Kira asked him.

"I'm thinking about joining something I believe in." Kira looked surprised at his answer, but smiled. "Do what you think is right." She replied to him.

Just then the door behind the pair opened, "We should be done within the hour, and then you're both free to leave." Nicol told them, "Mrs. Zala is going to be waiting for you though Kira, your parents are here."

Kira looked shocked, and happy at the same time. "That's great, kid. I know you've missed them." Mwu said with a grin. "Yeah, I have." She whispered.

* * *

 

_1300 hours_

"Kira! Athrun!" They heard a female voice yell, the pair turning to see where the voice was coming from.

"Hi mom." Athrun said as he smiled at her. She walked straight up to her and pulled her into her arms. "Thank god, I was so worried, your parents are here to darling. They've been scared to death!"

"Thank you Lenore."

"Don't be silly, Kira! You used to call me mom, and I expect you to do the same now!"

Athrun was standing back, trying not to laugh. "Mom, be careful of Kira's ribs."

"Oh dear." Lenore whispered, as she loosened her grip. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thanks. The doctor actually released me and said I can do everything normally now, and that she believes it is healed. I just really want to see mom and dad."

"Alright, come along then." Lenore said as she wrapped an arm around Kira and walked through the crowd, people shifting to the side to let them pass. Athrun was walking on Kira's other side, as they walked down a hallway to the right. "Your parents are in Patrick's office now, and I have a car waiting for us there."

The three of them quickly reached the exit, and Lenore ushered them into a car that was waiting. Athrun and Kira were both in the back seat, and Lenore sat in the front with the driver, although she turned to speak with them both.

"Patrick has been very worried about the both of you." She said, "He was really rushing Le Cruset to get you both home."

Athrun smiled and shook his head, "Which means he was rushing everyone else, because the council wanted us back."

"Hm, yes. The council wants to get reports from as many people as they can, about what happened." Athrun nodded, knowing they would. That's just how it was.

After a few more minutes, the car stopped and the driver got out and opened Lenore's door. Athrun slid out as well, and opened Kira's door for her. Lenore was beaming at him the whole time, and Kira was blushing. Athrun placed a hand behind Kira's back and escorted her to his father's office, with Lenore trailing behind. As they passed other soldiers, they stopped and saluted Athrun who did the same.

After a short walk Athrun stopped at a door, and went in to what seemed to be a receptionist office.  _She looks so young!_

"Good afternoon, Athrun. You must be Miss Yamato," she said as she smiled at them both, "Your dad is waiting." She said as she gestured to the door.

"Thanks Mya," Athrun said as he turned and opened the door and Kira walked in. As soon as Kira walked in she ran to her mom, who was standing to the side of Patrick's desk. "Oh sweetie, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too mom." Kira whispered, just enjoying the comfort of her mother's hug. She turned her head to the side to see her dad hugging Athrun. "Son, it's been a long time. I see you are doing well."

"Yes, thank you."

"Athrun has been doing very well since he joined. We're very proud of him." Patrick said. "I'm glad to see you again." He said to Athrun.

"Thanks, dad. It's really been to long."

"Yes, and I'm sad that you'll be leaving again so soon."

"What?!" Kira blurted out, startled.

Patrick looked at his son with a frown, "You didn't tell her?"

"Eh…" Athrun trailed off, looking guilty. Patrick sighed before turning to Kira, "I'd love for Athrun to stay, but he and the Le Cruset team are going to get the civilians from the Earth Forces ship, and return them home, since the EA doesn't seem concerned with doing the proper thing. I had it arranged as soon as Athrun told me there were other civilians on that ship."

"Oh." Kira said blushing, but sounding relieved.

"I have to be going soon, I think the Captain wants to leave soon so we can get back before long." Athrun said, before saluting his father and turning to Mr. Yamato.

"May I borrow Kira for a moment?" He was a textbook example of proper, as he asked, and it continued to amaze Kira's parents.

"Of course,"

"Thank you." Athrun said as he took Kira's hand and led her back outside.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but I didn't want you to worry about it."

"It's alright, Athrun. Just… be careful." Kira said with a smile, "I will." He told her and pulled her into his arms for a hug before he left. As they started to pull apart, Athrun bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon."

"See you later." She whispered to him.  _Never good-bye._

Kira watched him leave and felt a sharp pull in her chest, before returning to her parents.

"Kira, I'm so glad that I got to see you, but I must be going. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to attend." Patrick said as he gave her a hug and left. Promising to see them again soon.

"Let's go sweetheart; we're staying at the Waldorf Astoria, and we've booked a two room suite."

"Alright."

* * *

 

_2100 hours_

_Waldorf Astoria hotel room, living room_

 

"Mom, Dad… I need to talk to you." Kira said, as she sat down in one of the over-stuffed armchairs.

"Of course, honey. What's on your mind?" Caridad asked her daughter.

"Well, I've been thinking a lot… about the war."

"That's understandable, considering that you spent time on two different war ships." Haruma replied to her.

"I know that dad, I just… I've been thinking … I want this war to end, and I have the ability to help. To try and make a difference."

"What are you saying, dear?"

"I've been thinking… about joining ZAFT."

"You want to join the military?" Caridad asked just to make sure she understood what her daughter was saying.

"I've been thinking about it." Kira said, looking at her hands. "I believe that I can make a difference."

"If that is what you want, we fully support you." She told her daughter after sharing a look with her husband. "Now, tell us what you need from us."

"Nothing really. I just need to know that you understand, even if you don't agree, or support it."

"We will always support you when you choose to do something that you believe in, we fully supported your engagement to Athrun, even when you were so young."

Kira nodded, "Thank you. I was going to go to the recruitment office next week."

"Alright. I suppose that makes our news a little easier, Kira, your mother and I have decided that we are going to move here, to the PLANTs, permanently. We've already started looking for a house."

"That's great, but what about work?"

"We've been thinking about this for quite some time now, and we've both been approved for transfers here. We wanted to surprise you, we know that you've always wanted to live here."

Kira stood and hugged both her parents. "That is great. I know you'll be safe here. Thank you."

"Go get some rest, Kira. We're heading to bed too."

"I will, I'm gonna go soak for a while first."

"Good night."

Kira went back to her room, and felt a weight lift from her shoulders.  _I feel so much better, now that I know they support me._ She ran a hot bath and stripped while she waited for the tub to fill. She walked over to the mirror and looked at her left side, you couldn't even tell that she had been injured there. After a moment she turned off the water, and slipped into the tub.  _This feels really nice. It's so good to use my own things again… although if I join ZAFT I don't think that'll last._  She was laughing on the inside.  _At least I took those classes about military law and procedures… maybe that'll help. And I guess I'm a decent pilot since I could hold my own against the Le Cruset team… Hm._

* * *

 

_February 9, 71_

_1200 hours_

_At the recruitment office_

 

Kira walked up to the building with large floor to ceiling glass windows.  _Kinda weird choice for a recruitment office…_  The doors opened automatically when Kira was close enough, and she went in and walked up to the front desk. There was a teenage boy sitting behind the desk in a green ZAFT uniform. He has short strawberry blonde hair, and sky blue eyes, his skin was very lightly tanned, and he looked very inviting. "Good afternoon, can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm here to enlist." Kira said to the young man sitting at the front desk.

"I can help with that." He said with a charming smile. "Do you know what division you want to try for?"

"Yes, mobile suit operation." Kira said, with a shy smile.

"Alright. Ground or space forces?" He asked, taping away on the computer.

"Space." He nodded with a smile.

"Alright, give me one second Kira." Kira nodded as he printed something off, it looked like about ten pages; he slipped a paperclip over them and put them on a clipboard. "Alright Kira, fill these out please, when you're done bring them back to me and I'll take you to Mrs. James, who does the physical and mental exams."

"Thank you." She said as she took the papers and went and sat down to fill them out. About ten minutes later Kira was finished and walked back up to the desk. "All done?" He asked with a smile, taking the papers. He glanced through to make sure everything was filled out. "Alright, I'll take you to Mrs. James now." He said as he put the papers in a locked drawer and stood to take her.

"Okay, thank you." Kira said as she followed the soldier.

"My name is Josef by the way, with an f not a ph." He told her.

"Well, hello Josef. Thank you for escorting me."

"You're very welcome. It's a pleasure, especially for someone as nice as you are." He said.

"Well, here we are," Josef said as he knocked on the door. "Mrs. James, I have Miss Yamato here for a physical and psychological."

"Thank you, Miss Yamato please have a seat and I'll be with you shortly."

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, good luck, Kira. Just come by the desk again before you leave; and I should have some more papers ready for you by then."

"Thank you Josef." He walked away and Kira smiled, taking a seat on the bench across the hall from the office.

She waited for about fifteen minutes before the door opened, "Thank you Mrs. James." She heard an older man say as he left the office.

A tall woman stepped out, "Ready Miss Yamato?"

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

 

_3 hours later, 1500 hours_

 

Kira sighed as she walked out of the office, exhausted.  _Good lord. Back to the front now…_  she thought as she walked back to the desk where Josef was typing away.

"I'm back." She said to Josef and he grinned at her.

"She's exhausting, huh? But she makes sure only the best get into that program."

"I can tell. So what else do I need to do?"

"Nothing for a while, you've been accepted into the accelerated program. It starts on the 14th of this month, and it's 4 months instead of seven or eight. This packet here will explain everything you need to know, and tells you where to report to on the 14th. Do you have any questions Kira?"

"Not about this no, but can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"You don't normally work at this office do you?" he looked surprised about the question but grinned, "So, they do teach you something in those classes you took huh? You're right, I normally work at the Academy itself but Johnson was sick, so I took her spot today. Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, it's only fair."

"If you don't me asking, how do you know Councilman Zala? It's not often that we have a council member listed as a reference for a new recruit. For the senior soldiers it's not surprising but I've never seen it on someone just enlisting."

"Oh, well do you know his son?"

"Athrun Zala? I've never met him, but I know of him. He's kinda famous at the Academy."

"He is?"

"Ya, no one has ever been his high scores; anyway what does Zala have to do with it?"

"Athrun and I are engaged." The shocked look on Josef's face was priceless.

"Seriously? There were always rumors that he was engaged, he had a lot of girls chasing after him, but he always turned them down."

"Yup, we've been together since we were young."

"I see, well that's interesting."

"I guess," Kira said with a laugh.

"So, I guess I shouldn't hit on you then."

Kira burst out laughing, "Ya, that might not be very good. But we can be friends, you seem like a cool guy."

"Awesome. Here," Josef said as he grabbed a piece of paper off a notepad in the corner, "This is my cell, hit me up sometime."

"Sure." Kira said, "I gotta go though."

"See you later Kira."

* * *

 

_February 14, C.E. 71_

_0500 hours_

 

Kira arrived at the ZAFT Military Academy at 0500 just like she was told to. She was excited and worried. She looked around the massive reception hall and saw two officials standing, waiting for the new recruits.

When she reached them they glanced at her briefly, "Name?"

"Kira Yamato."

"Come with me Yamato." The man on the left said, before leading her to an office. "We have four others joining us. Just wait here." Kira nodded and he left again.

_I hope this is the right decision… Athrun what will you do when you find out what I did?_

* * *

 

_February 14, C.E. 71_

_ZAFT Academy Briefing Room_

_0545_

 

Kira was sitting in the same spot as when she first came into the room, there were three men sitting in the room with her, all of them kept looking at her but were trying, and failing at being discreet about it. Now that she wasn't doing the same.

The man from earlier came back in, "It appears that only the four of you will be going into the program; our fifth member has not shown up." He said looking at the four of them. "Which means that the four of you better get to know each other, fast. You'll be stuck together for the duration of the program. So you better get over any problems you have with each other. Now, follow me."

He spun on his heel, and waited for them to follow him. They went down many halls and many twists and turns before he stopped. "This will be the room you four will share. Go inside and get settled, you'll report at 0500 tomorrow to begin training."

"Yes, sir!" All four of them stated together before the man walked off, and looked at each other. One of them pushed open the door, and they saw that on each bed was three uniforms, with a name tag. After a few moments all of them were sitting on their assigned bed.

"I'm Ethan Crane," the man on the bunk above Kira said. He was about 5' 9" and he had short black hair that was spiked up, and had hunter green stripes running through it; and his eyes were a dark brown.

"I'm Jacob Hall," said the man across from Ethan. He was about 6' 2", and he had black hair that faded into red, with sea green eyes.

"I'm Alexander Hayden, but please just call me Alex," Said the man sitting across from Kira. He was around 6' 5" and had dark purple hair and silver eyes.

"I'm Kira Yamato." Kira said lastly.

"Alright," Jacob said, "Maybe we should all share some more information about ourselves. The man did say we were going to be stuck together after all."

"I agree. I don't want to be stuck with people I don't know for four months." Kira said.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Alex asked.

There was a long silence before Kira spoke up. "I will, I'm 17, and from Orb, I attended prep school at Copernicus and then I moved to Heliopolis, where I went to a technical college. I'm a first generation coordinator, and I'm engaged."

"Ok, I'm 17 also, born here in the PLANTs. I've been homeschooled, and never left the PLANTs before." Ethan said.

"I'm 19, and I was born in December City. We moved here when I was three. I attended school at the Jefferson Prep School, and then went to college on Junius 4." Jacob said.

"Alright, I'm 18, and never been off the PLANTs either. I scored top in my class, and then took some advanced classes before I came here." Alex said last.

"So, Kira, if you don't mind me asking, who's your fiancé?" Alex asked as he turned to her.

Kira groaned internally, "It's Athrun Zala." There was a dead silence in the room.

"Zala, as in Councilman Zala's son? As in the Athrun that holds all the top records here?" Jacob asked showing true interest.

"Yup." Kira said.

"Sweet."

"Well, let's all get settled, we're gonna need the rest."

* * *

 

_February 15, C.E. 71_

_0700 hours_

_ZAFT Academy office_

 

"My name is Major Cromwell. Today will be the last time that you will be allowed contact with someone outside this program until you graduate. You have until lunch. Use the computers and send out whatever emails you need to. Commander Thompson will be getting you at 1300, be ready."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The Major nodded, before exiting, the four teenagers each sitting down in front of a laptop; and they began sending letters. Jacob finished first. "Done already?" Ethan asked him, noticing that he wasn't typing.

"Yeah, the only family I got is a little sister, she's sixteen and staying at a private school."

"Damn. I'm sorry, man."

"It's ok Ethan, I'm used to it, our parents have been gone for years."

"What about you Alex?"

"I'm just sending a message to my parents, they'll let anyone else know that I got here okay if they ask."

"I'm sending one to my brother and sister, our parents died when I was a baby," Ethan said.

"What about you Kira?"

"I'm sending one to my parents, and one to Athrun."

"Yeah, how's he feel about you going through the program surrounded by guys and not allowed to contact anyone else, I wonder." Kira winced, and Jacob noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worried.

"He doesn't know I've enlisted yet."

"Fuck. Well…I guess he'll be finding out now."

"That's the plan." Kira said, as she sent the e-mail.

* * *

 

_February 17, C.E. 71_

_ZAFT docking area_

_0520 hours_

 

"Fuck it's early." Dearka was moaning.

"Oh shut it." Yzak snarled.

"Would you both shut up? We all need some coffee. Just be quiet until it's done." Miguel snapped at them both.

"Just be glad we're home guys." Athrun said as he started pouring coffee for all of them.

"Hell yes." As Athrun was sitting down and enjoying the coffee, and the silence from his teammates his phone chimed, and he groaned.  _Not another mission, please not another mission!_

Athrun pulled his phone out and looked at it, surprised to see it was an e-mail, so he opened it; and saw immediately that it was from Kira.

* * *

 

_February 15, C.E. 71_

 

_Athrun,_

_I hope you are well, and on your way home soon. I know you must be tired, one job after another. I imagine that it'll be a few days before you get this so, first off Happy Late Valentine's Day._

_Anyway, you're not going to like what I have to say; and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you beforehand. What's done is done though, and I hope you can forgive me._

_I've enlisted. I'm writing this letter from the ZAFT Academy offices, and they said this is the only chance I will have to talk to anyone outside the program before graduation. I'm sorry. I've been put into an accelerated program, and the graduation will be on June 1st._

_I love you. I'm sorry._

_~Kira_

 

"Athrun?" He heard Nicol calling his name, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" They were all watching him.

"Kira… enlisted. She's at Academy now. In the accelerated program." There was a heavy silence after that, they knew that Athrun wouldn't joke over something like this.

"Are you okay?" Olor asked him.

"No, no I'm not. What the fuck is she thinking?!" There was an edge to his voice. "How could she do this?! She hates war!"

"Maybe… she wants to help."

"By putting herself in a position where she'll have to kill?! That won't help anything!" Athrun was furious. He shook his head before dialing a number, and letting it ring… once… twice…

"Athrun? What's wrong?" his father's voice was reassuring but he still felt panicked, and furious.

"Kira enlisted." Was all he could say.

"What? When?" his father sounded so startled that Athrun knew that he didn't know anything about it.

"I dunno. She's at Academy now, accelerated program."

"I'll look into it. Don't worry about it, just get some rest. I'll figure it out."

"Thanks dad."

Athrun hung up the phone and sighed. "Fuck!"

"Kira… enlisted. Are you for real?" Rusty asked, putting it into words how they all felt.

"Yeah… ya, I am." Athrun said as he closed his eyes and rested his head back on the chair. "Fuck. Just… fuck."

* * *

 

_February 20, C.E. 71_

_0400 hours_

_ZAFT Academy Bedroom_

 

Kira was jerked awake by an obnoxiously loud noise.

"RISE AND SHINE MAGGOTS!" Commander Thompson was in the room with an air-horn and screaming, as usual.

"Sir! Yes! Sir!" The four were lined up in record time, all hating this man with everything they were at this point.

"DRESS! BE AT THE TRACK AT 0415!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" He left the room, and the four of them all rushed to get dressed, and jogged to the track.

"The man's a fucking sadist." Jacob was bitching.

"What else is new?" Ethan snapped back.

"Would you two shut up, the sun's not even up and we're stuck doing PT." Kira told them, annoyed.  _We're all gonna be late if they don't shut it and catch up._

"GOOD MORNING PRINCESSES! 5 MILES BEFORE CHOW! Go!"

 _Fucker._ Kira thought as she took off, wanting to just go get breakfast.

She could hear the others catching up, and before long Alex was keeping pace with her. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed Kira?" He asked her laughing.

"Just sick of that sadist bastard."

"I know, girl. So am I." Alex said.

She could hear Ethan and Jacob right behind them. "What's the point even? We all passed the physicals already." Jacob said.

"So we don't fall out of shape, I figure." Kira replied.

"I guess. Race you to the end! I'm starving!" Jacob said as he took off.

Kira grinned and took off after the boys.  _Just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean you'll win Jake._

* * *

 

_March 5, C.E. 71_

_ZAFT Academy Training Room_

 

"Today, you will all do mobile suit combat exercises. I want to see your so called talents. Especially you, Yamato. The former Strike pilot… let's see how you do in a ZAFT suit."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Kira responded, before climbing into the simulator that the Commander gestured to.

She could feel her teammates staring at her, curious. They boarded their own machines and the four of them did very well. Kira adapted to the controls quickly.  _Damn… this is nothing like the Strike._

"Alright, this is a three to one exercise. Hall, you're in the lead. Don't die." The commanders voice rang over the speakers before the screens loaded and showed empty space. "Everyone loaded?"

"All green here." Alex said.

"Green." Kira and Ethan both replied as well.

"I can see the enemy ship, looks like a version of the Gamow. It'll be carrying mobile suits." Ethan said.

"This is a three on one though, so there's gotta be another ship for there to be that many mobile suits." Alex reasoned.

"Everyone fan out, and look for their backup. Prepare to engage them." Jacob said.

"Roger," Kira said, as she pulled to the left to scout. There were several tense moments before they all radioed in and said they couldn't find any other ship.

There was an explosion to the right as Ethan came under fire. "Damnit! They're behind us," Alex shouted.

A second later Kira, Jacob and Alex were attacked as well. With all the cross fire, it was hard to see what was happening to the others; when suddenly Ethan's machine disappeared. "Shit! We lost Ethan!" Kira said, as she was suddenly attacked by more suits. She took out two of them quickly, and she saw an explosion to her left and saw that Alex had destroyed his three, and was coming to help her out.

There was a flash as the machines shut down. "Damnit!" Kira shouted as she kicked the bottom panel is a rare show of temper.

"FALL IN!" Commander Thompson was shouting, and they all fell in line.

"CRANE! YAMATO! 50 PUSHUPS!"

"SIR YES SIR" they hollered back as they dropped down and started.

"Hall, Hayden, you survived but YOU LOST TWO COMRADES! THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! 50 PUSHUPS! NOW!"

They dropped down as well and did as they were ordered,  _God damn it, punished for dying, and for living._

Kira stood when she finished her 50, only for Thompson to start screaming at them again.

* * *

 

_April 15, C.E. 71_

_ZAFT Academy Office_

_1500 hours_

 

"So, you all survived Thompson, I'm proud." Major Cromwell stated. "You have 46 days left of training. This will be spent as a team, perfecting your communication skills and teamwork. I've received multiple requests for information about many of you; so you are very well sought out individuals already… and you haven't even graduated."

Kira was surprised, and Alex looked excited. "Work on anything you think you need to. Exams will start on May 1st. Take some down time too. After you graduate you'll be sent to fight, so take some time now to rest."

"Yes, sir!"

"Dismissed,"

"Thank you, sir."

"Hey, Kira, I got a question for you."

"Ya, Alex? What's up?"

"What was Thompson talking about, when he said you were the former Strike pilot?"

Kira sighed,  _I should've known this was coming._ "Let's get some food, then I'll explain." She said.

* * *

 

_June 1, C.E. 71_

_ZAFT Academy_

_1500 hours_

_Alex's POV_

 

"Your pin is crooked Alex." I hear Kira saying to me, and I glanced down to try and fix it but she walked forward and brushed my hand away straightening it for me.

"Thanks."

"No problem. We all need to look our best today."

"Stop stressing Kira, everything will be fine."

"I know, I just also know Patrick and Athrun will be here."

"And you're nervous about seeing them after all this? They can't be as bad as Thompson was."

"heh. No, but I still don't want them to be upset with me, and I know they will be."

"It'll be alright." Jacob said, brushing her worries aside.

"Hey, Kira, did anyone tell you that you look great in red?" Alex asked, trying to make her focus on something else; and it worked because she busted out laughing.

"You're real funny, Alex. You can't distract me that easy."

"I tried, but really we need to worry about Ethan the most I think. He's still suffering from last night."

"I tried to tell you, all of you, but you're too damn stubborn. If he vomits on stage because you let him drink too much last night, I will KILL you." She said looking at Jacob.

"Yeah, ya. I know." He said, looking worried as he heard Ethan vomiting again in the bathroom.

"Shit." He muttered as he went in there, not long after he came out with Ethan who looked better. "Here," Kira said as she handed him a bottle of Gatorade and some aspirin, "it'll help with your headache but I can't do much for your stomach." He took the pills and drank the Gatorade.

"We gotta go guys," I said looking at the clock, or we're going to be late to our own graduation.

"Think you can do it Ethan?" Jacob was asking, "Yeah." He whispered.

"If you do throw up, make sure it's not on the commander's shoes, okay?" Kira teased him and he smiled nervously.  _We'd all die if you do._

As we stood off to the side of stage, with the other Academy students it occurred to me that, we had had almost no contact with any of them in four months. We filled in when it was time, and the ceremony began.  _Only the four of us made it to Red's? Damn. What the hell were these other jokers doing all semester?_

I glanced at Kira, who was on my left and saw that she was determinedly not looking at the crowd; and Ethan on my right who looked far to pale.  _Don't you dare get sick now Ethan. I'll fucking kill you._ I thought at him aggressively, wishing, not for the first time that he could read my mind.

I wondered briefly about Kira, before realizing what she was doing.  _She doesn't want to have to face them yet._

"We had four students in our new accelerated program this cycle, all of which are now red elite's. They were forced to excel under the worst and most strict circumstance, and we're not allowed any contact with any other than their roommates and instructors for four months."

That was our signal to step forward, which we did, and I was praying that Ethan could hold it together for a little longer. The longer he stood under the harsh lights, the worse he looked.

"They will be joining Commander Skyy's team." There was a lot of cheering, and shortly after it was over; and Ethan bolted off stage before he got sick again.

The rest of us headed off stage in a calmer manner, and went to go wait on Ethan and our parent's to meet up with us.

"Hayden!" A voice called, getting my attention, and I turned to see that it was Major Cromwell.

"Since you all are being assigned the same team, and you have some high profile people here to visit with you all, I've arranged for you all to meet in the Conference room on Level 3. I'll be taking the families there now."

"Alright, we'll head that way." I said. "We just gotta get Ethan first."

He nodded and walked off, and I relayed the information to Kira and Jacob; who volunteered to go get Ethan and meet us there. We split and headed there, anxious to see our families after so long.

"Nervous?" I asked looking at Kira.

"You know it." She said, trying to laugh; but it obviously forced.

The two of them reached the elevator and Kira hit the button and put in the code to get them to Level 3. She sighed and leaned against the wall. "Quit stressing," I told her, "It won't do any good."

"I know, I just don't know what they're going to say."

"It'll be okay. I'll be here either way." I told her, and she smiled at me. "Thanks Alex," she said softly looking at her knees. She brushed the skirt down, again, with a frown.  _She really hates that skirt._

Ding! I noticed that she jumped when the elevator chimed, but she recovered from it quickly, and stepped out. She walked slower than normal, but really, I understood. I was nervous about seeing my parents after so long, I could only imagine how she must feel.

We reached the room, I before her, and I pushed the door open, and saw that we were the first there.  _Not that I should be surprised, since the Major had to gather all our visitors. And Jacob had to get Ethan sorted out._

I watched Kira sit down on one of the couches on the far side of the room.  _Why do they call this a conference room?_  I wondered, really it was more like a very large living room.

I sat down in a chair near her. "How long to do you think it'll take Jacob to get Ethan sorted out?" She asked me.

"Hard to say, hopefully his stomach has settled by now. I didn't think that he had drank that much last night."

"I don't think he did, but he didn't eat while we were out either; so that has a lot to do with it I think." Kira told me.

"He didn't eat, like at all? I thought Jacob got him to eat the nachos?"

"Nope. He never did eat them."

"Well shit." As I was saying this I heard the door open, and I turned to see Ethan and Jacob coming in.

"Feelin better kid?" I asked Ethan, he  _looked_  better, but that doesn't mean he felt better.

"A little. My stomach doesn't feel like it's doing flips anymore."

"Good, you had me nervous, Ethan. I thought you were gonna vomit on the Commanders shoes." Jacob was saying.

"Yes, that would have been very embarrassing." A deep voice said behind them, Kira looked like she was going to die of laughter if she tried to hold it in anymore. We watched as all the color drained from Ethan, and Jacob as they swung around and snapped to attention.

"Councilman Zala, sir!"  _They look like statues._

"At ease, boys. You just graduated! We all know how Academy can be for teenaged boys!" He was smiling, but there was a bit of coldness behind his eyes. The rest of the group filed in, my parents making their way to my side; and I saw Kira stand to go greet what I assumed to be her parents.

Kira stood and walked to her mom and dad and hugged them, both of them saying how proud they were. She saw a man and woman walk over to Alex. They were both tall, the woman had long purple hair, and green eyes. Like an emerald. The man, had pitch black hair, and striking silver eyes. They each hugged him before talking with him quietly.

She looked over and saw Patrick, Lenore and Athrun by the door, speaking with Commander Le Cruset; but Athrun was watching her, and she looked away quickly to see the other three people that had walked into the room.

With Ethan was a young girl, she had to be about fourteen, she had long black hair, with light green streaks through it; her eyes were blue like the sky.

There was also an older guy standing with them and Kira realized with a jolt that he was wearing a special forces uniform.  _Well, he never mentioned THAT!_  He was taller than his brother but barely, and had black and green hair like Ethan's. His eyes were an interesting mix of blue and green.

She looked over at Jacob and saw him hugging a young woman that could only be his sixteen year old sister. She was almost a foot shorter than her brother, and she had black hair as well, with red streaks running through, that looked like high-lights. Her eyes were the same green color as her brothers.

Patrick cleared his throat and asked everyone to please take a seat. Kira made her way back to where she had been sitting and her mother sat next to her and Athrun sat down on her other side. Everyone else sat down with their families, and Patrick spoke again.

"How about you all introduce yourselves now?" he phrased it as a question, but it was obviously not. There was a hesitation before Kira spoke first.

"I'm Kira Yamato, this is my mom and dad, Caridad and Harumo, and this is my fiancé Athrun Zala, and his parents Patrick and Lenore." She said as she gestured to each person as she said their name.

Alex spoke next, "I'm Alexander Hayden, and this is my mom Jessicia and my dad who I am named after." He said with a strong, confident voice.  _Show no fear._

Jacob spoke next, sounding more hesitant, which was very unusual, "I'm Jacob Hall, and this is my sister Sara."

Ethan spoke last, voice soft but audible. "I'm Ethan Crane, and these are my siblings Annabella and Victor."

Victor met everyone's gazes easily, "You seem surprised to see me." He said, looking right at Kira. "Did you not know Ethan had a brother?" He asked.

"No, we knew he had a brother, he failed to mention that said brother was in special forces though." Kira replied calmly.

The group fell into easy conversation after that, and Kira felt a pull on her sleeve when everyone was occupied, and Athrun pulled her to the side, and out of the room.

After they were outside, he turned to face her, and before she could say anything; he pulled her into a hug. "Shush." He said. "Just let me hold you for a moment."

"Alright." She whispered, leaning into his chest.

 

To be Continued…


	7. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Rome is based on a real place that is now closed, it was at one point in Columbia, Missouri.

A/N: Please review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

 

Chapter 7: Tears

 

Ethan looked around, "Where'd Kira go?" He asked a moment later.

"Don't worry about her, she's fine." Alex responded in a calming tone.

"But-"

"You know she was wanting to talk to Athrun, leave her be." He cut Ethan off, before redirecting the conversation again.

Patrick smiled, glad that this young man had been observant enough to know when and with who Kira had left with.  _He's got a good eye, and good instincts. He deserves that uniform._

* * *

 

_Kira's POV_

"I'm sorry." I said after a while, and I just felt him squeeze me tighter in response. There was another long pause where I tried to just enjoy the comfort.

"You're angry." I said, knowing.

"Furious." He agreed. "I want to just start screaming, but I want to hold you more. I missed you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You would've tried to stop me, it would've just caused a fight."

"You're right. Why… Kira." He pulled back from me then, and placed one hand on my shoulder and the other under my chin, "Kira… why did you think this was a good idea?"

"Athrun… think about it. With no training I managed to hold off  _four_  of ZAFT's best pilots. I may not make a huge difference, but I think I can help end this war. I want the fighting to stop!"

"So you think risking your life is the answer?!"

I was startled by the amount of anger in his voice, but I did understand. "Do  _not_  raise your voice at  _me_ , Athrun Zala. It may work with your teammates, but it will get you  _nowhere_  with me. On that same note, the same could be asked of  _you_. Did you think that joining ZAFT and risking  _your_  life was a good idea?!" Athrun opened his mouth to respond, but I continued before he could get a word out, "There is  _no difference!_  So don't even start!"

"No, Kira, there is a difference. It doesn't justify it, but I thought you were  _dead_  when I joined. As far as I knew you were on the moon!"

"So, you broke your promise to me because you thought I was already dead. That's no excuse, Athrun."

"I know it's not. I hate that you are in the military now.  _Hate it._  I have no way to keep you safe.  _I can't trust you to do it yourself if you're so willing to join a war you hate!_ "

"It's not your job to protect me, Athrun. I'm a big girl I can do it myself." I said, his last comment stinging harshly, but I refused to let him see that it bothered me.

"Did you know what team you were being assigned to before today?" He asked, his jaw clenched tightly.

"I had my suspicions but none of us knew for sure, we weren't even sure if we'd be put in the same squad or if we'd be separated."

"I wish you had been assigned to my team, then I could protect you."

"Smother me, you mean," I snapped back. "Athrun, I am an  _elite soldier of the ZAFT military._  You're going to have to just accept that. I know it's hard for you, but you have to trust me, trust my team. They can protect me."

"I don't know that." He said with a stubbornness in his gaze that i couldn't fight with.

"Ahem."  _What the hell Jacob._ I pulled back from Athrun and turned to look at Jacob who was standing next to the door with a critical frown, "What is it Jake?"

"We're getting ready to go to dinner, you two coming?" Athrun glanced at me before nodding, "Yeah, of course we are." I said, Jacob nodded before slipping back into the room.

"He doesn't like me." Athrun said after a moment.

"None of them do." I told him.

"Why?" he asked me, a strange note in his voice.

I looked at him closely, studying his face. "It's not because they're after me…" I said watching his expressions for a clue, "They're like my brothers. They just don't like 'sisters boyfriend'."

"Heh. I don't care if they like me." he said.

"I think they would if they knew you, and not just the stories they hear about you."

"Stories?" He asked looking at me curiously.

"Mhm. The academy has you portrayed as a bit of a legend, with all your top scores." He just shook his head and sighed, and I just smiled.

The door opened then and I saw Alex coming out and he glanced at us and frowned before asking, "Ready to go?"

"Ya, where are we going?" I asked as I took Athrun's hand and we walked over to where the rest of the group was coming out.

"I think The Rome is where we are going to go tonight." Patrick said as he smiled at us, and I felt Athrun's arm wrap around my waist, "That sounds great," I said.

"We are going to be joined by some of the other member's of my team, and some of the members of the council." Le Creuset said, looking at Athrun.

"Who else will be coming?" Athrun asked.

"Siguel and lacus Clyne, Jami, Mya, Dearka and Tad Elsman, with Tony as well. Yzak, Nicol, Rusty, Miguel and Olor, and their parents, and Alyssia and Shyra of course." Patrick said.

"So about 35 of us all together," Athrun said, "I'll go ahead and call." he said as he pulled away from me and pulled his cell phone out and dialed a number.

"I think we need to change out of our graduation outfits at least." I said, noticing the odd silence that had fallen over us.

Alex looked at me worried, and voiced his agreement quickly. Patrick smiled and told us to go, and wear something casual. "Athrun needs to change as well, as do I." Le Cruset said. "We can all meet back here in a half hour." My mom said suddenly, "There's a few things we'd like to do as well." she said. Everyone agreed and I watched as Athrun got off the phone and walked off, to go change I assumed.

* * *

 

_Alex's POV_

I watched as Kira turned quickly and headed back towards the elevator and I could feel the tension pouring off of her. I waited until we were in the elevator before I spoke.

"Kira?"

"Yeah?" She whispered staring at the ground, I could hear the tears in her voice and I pulled her to me, "I'm sorry." I whispered to her.  _I knew he was upset but he doesn't deserve her if he's just going to make her cry. I never should have let her go with him alone._

I felt Ethan and Jacob move closer and put a hand on her shoulders and back. Just then she lost her composure and I felt her begin to sob against my chest; and all I could do was just pull her closer to my chest and let her cry it out. The elevator dinged shortly after and the door slid open.

"Move." I grunted at the boys before I picked Kira up, careful of her skirt, I knew there might still be some academy kids hanging around and the last thing they needed was an eyeful of Kira's underwear.  _I'd have to shoot them and hide the bodies._

She wrapped her arms around my neck and continued crying.  _I think I'd rather get shot than have to deal with her this sad. It's heartbreaking. I might have to murder Zala for making her cry like this. He doesn't deserve her if he can hurt her like this._

Ethan pulled open the bedroom door, and I walked over to her bunk and sat down holding her tightly. Jacob started changing immediately, but Ethan hesitated. I met his eyes and shook my head.  _Go ahead and change. I've got her._  I thought at him, he seemed to get the message because he started changing.

"...trust me…" I heard Kira whisper against my chest.

"What?" I whispered, pressing my lips to the top of her head.

I heard her sniff before she answered me, "He said he can't trust me." she whispered, her voice cracking and the tears flowing more.

"What?!" I heard Jacob snarl, from where he was standing. I frowned at him, hearing Kira take a stuttering breath. Trying, and failing, to calm herself so that she could stop crying.

Ethan walked over and lifted her from my lap and sat down with her, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her back and forth. I changed quickly and sat down next to them again. Kira had calmed by now, and she pulled back. "Sorry, guys." She whispered, wiping her eyes, "I just…"

"Never expected him to say something so cruel and heartless?" Jacob finished for her, sounding angry. Before she could answer there was a knock on the door, "Is everything okay in there?" A voice called from the other side.

"We'll be out in a minute!" Kira called, standing up and going over to her things to look for something to change into. She glanced at us and noticed that we were all changed, and she smiled before saying she was sorry for taking so long and laughing. I shook my head as I headed out of the room to see two young men standing there.  _Maybe in their 20's?_

I recognized them as Rusty Mackenzie and Miguel Aiman from the Le Creuset team. "Everything alright?" Miguel asked, with a knowing look.  _He could hear Kira crying…_  I realized after a second. "Fine. Kira will be out in a minute." Ethan said softly, glancing at the door. We could hear Kira moving around in the room, she wasn't trying to be quiet.

_Fuck him!_ Kira thought to herself, almost irrationally angry.  _Can't trust me, huh? You can just go to hell Athrun! I can take care of myself._ She threw a shoe across the room in a moment of rage, before pulling out a black skirt, and low-cut red blouse. I pulled out a pair of red heels with black lace on the edges. I smiled and slipped them on, walking into the bathroom to look in the mirror. I smoothed down my skirt, and brushed my hair out; adding a small amount of makeup around the eyes, and some gloss on my lips.  _I love these shoes._ She thought happily as she slipped on a necklace that was a simple silver chain.

One more moment of primping and she was walking out of the bathroom and going straight through the bedroom and out the door. I noticed that Rusty and Miguel were standing there too, waiting. "Sorry! I'm ready now." She said with a smile.

"Always waiting on a woman." Rusty said with a smile, "Let's get out of here." he said before he offered Kira his arm and escorted them to the front of the building where everyone else was waiting.

* * *

 

_-Back to Alex's POV-_

_Always stunning, Kira. Knock him dead._

I noticed right away the attention that Kira was drawing from some of the other recent graduates and other soldiers.  _Oh, fools, just try getting close to her. You don't stand a chance._

As we drew closer, I noticed that Athrun was looking around, noticing, I assumed, all the men in the room checking out his fiancé.  _She should leave you, for upsetting her like that. Bastard._

The amount of venom in my thoughts surrounding Athrun surprised even myself, I really had no reason to hate him. Kira's relationship was none of my business.  _But she was crying on my chest because of him, that makes it my business._

I knew I was glaring at him, and I knew that he would notice eventually.  _Do I really care though?_

Just as the thought passed my mind, his eyes met mine. His eyes narrowed on me, and I just smiled at him, like ice.  _I hope that he knows I hate him._

I looked away from him unconcerned, and saw that Kira was talking to Victor, Ethan's brother. He had changed into more casual clothes as well, but it was obvious in his stance and mannerism that he was a soldier.  _The gun on his hip is a dead giveaway, not that we're any more discreet._ I glanced and saw that Ethan and Jacob had their guns on them as well.  _I wonder if Kira has any weapons on her? She's really good at concealing them._

I brushed the thought off, thinking it better not to dwell on it. She was smiling at Victor, and I noticed that she was laughing and shaking her head.

I watched her a for a few moments, wondering what was so funny before Councilman Zala directed all of us to the vehicles waiting outside. By some terrible twist of fate, Kira ended up in a car with her parents, Lenore and some woman named Mya that she seemed to know well. She had mostly silver white hair, with black and purple streaks in it. Her eyes were dark, and she had dark makeup around her eyes, and dark lipstick. The look suited her well.  _She looks so young, but she is the assistant to Patrick Zala, so she can't be as young as she appears._

I was directed into another vehicle, with Ethan, Victor, Athrun, Rusty, and Miguel.  _Just perfect._  I thought as I rolled my eyes and took a seat next to Victor and Ethan. Rusty, Athrun and Miguel were seated in the row in front of us. I noticed then that Jacob was climbing into the front passenger seat, and an unknown man in a suit was driving.

A short second later the car was pulling away, and I had a sense that Zala wanted to say something, and I just waited, but he didn't. Instead it was his teammate, Miguel, that turned to look at us and asked, "So, one of you wanna tell me why Kira was crying so hard that I could hear her through the walls?" his tone was calm but there was an underlying current in it that spoke of a kind of protective rage.  _Oh, you're in for a nasty eye opener._

Ethan glared at him, "That's not your concern," he said simply.

"I think we deserve to know what caused her that kind of pain, we care about her as well you know!"

"If that's the case, then you need to be talking to Zala there. It's  _his_  fault she was crying." Jacob spoke from his place at the front, not turning around to look at us, but watching us all in the rearview mirror.

I saw Athrun's body tense as both his teammates and Victor's eyes cut over to him. Victor had a deep frown on his face, and it looked like he had something to say but he kept silent. "Athrun?" Rusty asked tenseness clear in his voice.

He stayed silent, and I was sure that I knew why. "What's wrong Zala?Don't wanna admit to it, that's fine. Kira told us all about how you said  _that you couldn't trust her._  Even though she'd doing all of this because of you."

"Excuse you?!" Athrun snapped, "Where the hell do you get off saying-"

"Because she never would have joined, if you hadn't  _broken your promise to her not to!"_ I was rising from my seat, wanting to beat his face in and damn the consequences but as soon as I was rising I felt Ethan grab ahold of my shoulder and Victor grab my other side, restraining me.

Athrun was watching me, surprised. I saw Jacob shift in the front, ready to interfere if he had to. "Hayden, sit. back. down." he snapped at me, and I just glared at him. I shook off Victor and Ethan pulled me back down into the seat.

The rest of the ride was spent in a tense silence, the urge to beat the shit out of him sitting heavily with me. I could see the tenseness in his teammates as well.

"I don't like you." I said, glaring at the back of his head, "You've hurt Kira, and that is unforgivable."

"I don't care what you think of me, what is between Kira and I, is none of your business." he said softly.

"No, Zala. You made it my business when Kira came to me crying."

"Stay out of it." Athrun said before turning back to the front. The car stopped then, and we all got out quickly.

I glanced around and saw that Kira was talking to a young man, he looked about 19; and had short strawberry blonde hair. He had on a black uniform, it was a special division of ZAFT. He had his hands on Kira's arms and I noticed then that Athrun had noticed them too. Just as this thought crossed my mind, I saw that Kira threw her arms around him in a hug.  _Who's this guy?_ I wondered, it was unlike Kira to be so open except with people she knew really well.

I made my way over to them, and I wondered if Athrun was behind me. As I drew closer I could hear them talking.

"Josef! How have you been?!"

"I'm good Kira, you look great! And Congratulations on your graduation!"

"Thanks! I see you've been promoted since I saw you last."

"Yup, about a week after I saw you last. I was at the ceremony but I noticed that you had more than a few visitors. So I was just gonna catch up with you later."

"Well, I'm glad I saw you! I missed talking to you."

"Same here." he said with a smile, holding onto her hand.

I reached them then, glancing at their hands curiously, "Who's this Kira?" I heard Jacob asked, hearing the smirk in his voice.

I glanced to see why, and I saw that Athrun and his team were there as well. "Oh, this is Josef! I met him the day I enlisted, and we've been talking ever since." Kira said with a smile.

"Josef, these are my teammates, Jacob, Ethan and Alex. This is my fiancé, Athrun, and the rest of the Le Creuset team, Dearka, Yzak, Nicol, Miguel and Rusty." She said, gesturing to each one in turn. She didn't look at Athrun when she introduced him, and I think that everyone else noticed as well.

"Nice to meet you all," he said as he saluted, "And congratulation on your graduation. I know Thompson is a real pain in the ass. 90% of all the drop-outs and failures are due to him."

"I'd believe that. He's such a hard ass, I'd have gladly taken any other drill sergeant." Ethan was saying with a grin.

"I just gotta say, I'm not gonna miss his 0200 surprise inspections, then 10 miles in the freezing cold." Kira said, with a false smile.

"Right! He was terrible."

"Hey! We need to go," I said, seeing that Commander Le Creuset was gesturing at us and the building.

"Oh, well it was great to see you Josef!" Kira said hugging him once again, "Text me soon, kay?"

"Of course," he said as he left, and Kira led the way to the entrance of the restaurant."

 

End chapter 7.

The next update will be on September 6th! And we'll be meeting some new people!

Word Count: 3,374

 


	8. Underground

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed. Any new or original characters that are in this story, do however belong to me. Thank you._

_Posting date: September 6, 2014_

 

Chapter 8: Underground

 

 _‘What an interesting group.’_ the woman thought, standing on the edge of the balcony overlooking the entrance of the restaurant. She watched as Kira walked in talking to Patrick; and the group of boys that followed her in. She quickly recognized the Le Creuset team, and she glanced at the tablet in her hand. On it she saw the profiles of Ethan Crane, Alexander Hayden, Jacob Hall and Kira Yamato. The woman scanned through the profiles before opening the only female members file. She noticed that there was an open note on her file and opened it, reading it through quickly.

 

_H6-1168-13 Kira Yamato_

_Yamato has acknowledged, on multiple occasions, her engagement to Zala on the Le Creuset team. ID # A6-1593-24. She has expressed, privately, her concerns about any situations in which she will need to work with him. She has told her comrades of concerns regarding his reaction to her enlistment. She has shown great potential, but may not perform at top-level in the presence of Zala. She has done exceptionally well in simulations against her comrades. ID #’s: H6-1168-11, H6-1168-15, and H6-1168-17._

_X-105 Strike is being transferred  back to her as she was the original pilot. It is assumed that her performance rate may increase, as the handling of the Strike is very different from the controls of the GINN’s used in training. Reference file ID TPA-1168-C62198._

 

 _‘Well, I think we’ll be seeing about these assumptions soon.’_ She looked up and saw that everyone was taking their seats in the upper level of the restaurant. _Guess I should go greet my new team._

* * *

_Jacob’s POV_

I noticed as we were sitting, that none of the other council members had arrived yet. My sister was seated between myself and Ethan, and she kept looking around in awe. I smiled at her, and she grinned back and I noticed then that there was a large group of people coming up the stairs. 

Councilman Zala stood then and gestured for everyone’s attention. The large group arrived quickly and they greeted Patrick rather warmly. I recognized the council members; Sigel Clyne, Tad Elsman, Ezalia Joule, and Yuri Amalfi immediately. I recognized Lacus Clyne, her pink hair was a dead giveaway, and Councilman Amalfi wife Romina, were easy to figure out.

There were five other people as well, and I assumed that they were assistants to the councilmembers. They were introduced to us quickly. The first one was Mya, and she was Patrick Zala’s assistant. She had long hair that was mostly silver with black and purple streaks. she was very tall, and wearing flats, and I noticed that her eyes were a dark brown.

Next was Sigel Clyne’s assistant, Jami. Her hair was a mix of blue and black and reached just past her shoulders. Her eyes were the most shocking thing, as they were a vivid golden color.

After her was the only male in the group, who was Tad Elsman’s assistant, Tony. He had a black mohawk and light purple eyes; the shade very similar to Kira’s but not the same.

The next woman was Ezalia Joule’s assistant, her name is Alyssia. Her hair is shoulder length, and choppy. It stood out because it was a bright orange. It looked gorgeous on her, and her eyes were hazel and very calm. She seemed like a very happy and energetic person.

Last was a thin and short young woman named Shyra, who was Yuri Amalfi’s assistant. Her hair is red and fell in soft waves all the way to her waist. Her eyes were a beautiful green, and she had a few freckles that stood out against her pale skin. She was dressed very casually, in a pair of dark blue jeans, and a white tank top. I noticed when she moved to her seat that she had on a pair of heels; as did Alyssia and Jami. However, their heels were short where Shyra’s were close to six inches, and she was still shorter than the other women present.

They were all seated shortly after and I noticed that there was still two empty seats, I noticed then that Mya was standing to the side, on her cell phone.

Shortly after she joined us at the table, and she whispered something to Councilman Zala on the way. “Our last guest will be here shortly.” he said.

I watched curiously as Kira turned to Athrun, who was speaking to Rusty in hushed voices, and touched the top of his hand; as she did this he stopped his conversation and turned to her. He smiled hesitantly, and then spoke softly to her. Rusty smiled and then turned to Yzak, and started a conversation with him and Olor. Zala met my eyes but didn't react to me watching him, instead he ignored me and focused back on Kira. _I wonder what they’re talking about._

 _I wonder if there’s a bit of jealousy there._ Le Creuset wondered as he looked at the new members of team Skyy. He couldn't’ help but notice that all three of the boys constantly looked over to Kira and Athrun. _That may become a rather serious problem, of that is the case._

There was a lull in the conversation and if you listened closely you could hear quiet footsteps climbing the stairs. As a few of the people present turned to look, a woman arrived at the landing.

“Sorry, I’m late.” she spoke, “I got a bit held up.” she said as she looked around the room.

“That’s quite alright.” Commander Le Creuset spoke suddenly, looking at the newcomer, “It’s not everyday that you’re assigned a new team.”

“That’s very true.” Siegel Clyne stated, “PLease, Skyy, come and sit down.” “If you don’t mind, I'd like to have a moment with my team first.”

“Oh, of course!” Ezalia soke, “You’ve not even been introduced to them yet.”

As this was said the four soldiers in question stood and followed the woman out to the balcony; after they were all outside, the curtains that separated the dining room and the balcony were pulled shut. The group waiting in the dining room resumed their conversations as they were waiting.

Out on the balcony, the four soldiers stood at attention, waiting for instructions from their new commander. She had a medium skin tone, that was a bit on the darker side; it made them all think that her red uniform would stand out against her skin in a beautiful way. She stood about five foot six inches tall, and her build was lean. She had blonde hair that was braided and it was up in a bun. Her eyes were the most striking feature, however as they were a sapphire blue in the center and darkened to a royal purple on the outer edges.

“Yamato, Hall, Hayden and Crane,” she said, “My name is Eliza Skyy. As I’m sure you are aware, you may address me as Commander, or ma’am, depending on the situation. I have gone through all your files; and I have one thing to say. You all are very good on paper, but if you show me that you aren’t that good in the field, you _will_ be reassigned. Almost immediately. We will be given very difficult missions, most of the time. I can’t afford to have someone that can't keep up. Any questions?”

“No, ma’am!” They replied to her in unison, and she smiled. “I think we will all get along just fine.” she said. “Now, let’s go get our dinner. You should relax while you still can.” with those parting words she walked off.

“Well, then. This is going to be fun.” Ethan spoke after a pregnant silence.

“Hey, at least she’s one that won’t put up with all the bullshit.” Jacob said with a grin, “And she seems like she expects a lot from us.”

“She should.” Kira said, “We did score at the top of the class.” She smiled, “Let’s go. I’m starving guys.”

“Ya.” Alex agreed, opening the curtains and glass door that led to the dining room.

* * *

 

_Later that night_

 

As everyone was preparing to leave Commander Skyy pulled her team to the last vehicle and asked they accompany her. They, of course, did so and climbed into the car. As the car started moving, she moved so that she was facing them.

“Kira.” she spoke softly, “The X-105 Strike is being returned to you, as you were its original pilot. It has had some upgrades installed so its on par with all of ZAFT’s mobile suits.”

Kira looked shocked but she nodded her understanding. “You all are to report to the base at 1300 hours on the fifth of this month. You will be debriefed on the mission when you arrive. The length of this mission is currently unknown. Any questions?” she finished speaking, looking around at them.

“No, ma’am.” they answered, as the car came to a stop at the base. “Your rides are waiting for you.” she said as she exited the car. Kira followed her out and waited for the bos to join her, when they all did, they looked at each other before saying one word.

“Underground.”

Kira laughed and the others grinned, “I need to go change.” she said.

“I’ll take you home,” Alex told her, and he turned to Jacob, “Meet you there in an hour?”

Kira, Alex and Ethan agreed, and Jacob turned to Ethan and said, “Let’s go kid. You’re riding with me.”

Kira watched as Ethan climbed into the passenger swar of the car and Jacob waved before jumping in the drivers seat and they took off.

“Come on Kira!” Alex called to her, she turned and got into the passenger seat and Alex gunned the engine, and they took off.

“Do you need to change?” Kira asked turning towards Alex, and he grinned at her and sped up. _I missed this feeling, flying down the highway with the windows down._

“I’ve got a change of clothes in the back.” Kira laughed, she was in a really great mood now; and she turned on the radio and sat back to relax as Alex drove to her house.

They arrived shortly after, not surprising when you consider the speed they were traveling, and Alex followed her in. She directed him to a spare room so that he could change and she told her parents where they were going before she went and changed as well.

She changed into a blue strapless shirt and jeans, and after a moment she slipped on a pair of knee high boots. She grabbed a necklace and her sunglasses; which she placed on the top of her head, before she went back downstairs.

She heard Alex talking to her dad, promising to keep her safe, and out of trouble. She came around the corner and smiled at them, and she noticed that Alex had changed into a white undershirt with a black overshirt that was unbuttoned. His jeans were dark washed and ripped-up and it was a really good look on him, with his purple hair and silver eyes. It was almost stunning.

“Ready to go, Kira?” he asked when he noticed her standing there.

“Yeah. Dad, I should be home tonight, but I’ll text you if my plans change. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine. Just let me know what you end up deciding to do, later on.”

“I will. Bye mom! Love you!” she called as she waved before going outside.

* * *

 

_-Underground Night Club-_

_2100 hours_

 

The place was packed and the music was loud. It was your typical night club filled with teenagers, although this one was usually filled with Academy students and soldiers that were on base. Kira loved it, and she thought that this would be a great way to relax before they left on their first deployment.

Kira weaved her way through the crowded floor to a booth in the back. Alex right behind her, so close he was almost touching her the entire time. Kira sat down and Alex was right there next to her, she was glad for the moment of space though. _I forgot how crowded these places got!_

“Where are they?” she asked almost having to shout to be heard over the music.

“I don’t know! They’ll find us soon though!” he said as he pulled out his cell phone and texted them. “I’m going to go get a drink, you want anything?” he asked after a moment of scanning the crowd looking for the two men in question.

“Sure, whatever is fine!” she said.

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.” he said as he slid out of the booth and disappeared into the crowd.

Kira looked around again and she saw Ethan and waved him over, and he spotted her quickly, and waved back. She saw that Jacob was right behind him, and she assumed that they had been looking for her and Alex. They slid into the booth, with Jacob stealing Alex’s now unoccupied seat, and he was grinning.

“Where’d he go?”

“Getting drinks. He’ll be back in a second.” Kira said with a smile.

“Let’s dance!” Jacob exclaimed as the song changed, and he took Kira’s hand; and she let him pull her up and onto the floor.

Alex walked past them grinning as they went to the floor. “Have fun,” he called as he passed by. Kira waved at him before she and Jacob disappeared into the mass of bodies.

Alex greeted Ethan and sat down handing him a drink, “We’ve got some food coming too. Don’t overdo it tonight, okay?”

“Sure. I learned my lesson last night.” he said to Alex with an embarrassed grin.

“I’d hope so. I was going to have to kill you if you threw up on the stage today.”

“I would’ve died from the embarrassment before you got the chance.” he said laughing good naturedly about it, “Do you think Kira’s okay?” he asked after a moment, turning more serious.

“I’m not sure Ethan. She was really upset by what Zala said to her.

“I can’t believe he had the balls to say that he couldn’t trust her. That was really low.”

“Yeah, they were talking at dinner though. For a little bit at least.”

“I don't think a simple conversation over dinner will fix this kind of problem though.” Alex said with a sigh, “Let’s just hope that Kira doesn’t think doing something stupid to get back at him, is a good idea.”

“I don’t think she will."

“I dunno. She can be pretty vengeful when she’s really mad. I’d hate to see them ruined like that.”

“I thought you didn’t want them together?” Ethan asked Alex after a moment of contemplating.

“I’ve made no secret about how I feel about that.” Alex said to him, in a extremely serious tone. “But I don’t want her to be depressed and heart broken over a choice she made when she was angry and hurt either.”

“They could be really good together, I think. In the right conditions at least. I don’t know how they’re going to work this out though.”

“Well, all I can say about it is that I hope Kira gets it figured out soon, without getting her heart broken. I'd have to go after Zala, if he hurts her more than he already has; and I’m not sure my career could survive an encounter like that.” Alex said with a thoughtful frown.

“I don’t think he deserves her. She’s far to sweet for him, when he can just hurt her like that. And no, I don’t think any career could survive a fight with Zala.”

“Yeah.” Alex agreed, watching the crowd again. After a few minutes he spotted Kira with her arms around Jacob, laughing as he held her very closely; and he bent his head to whisper something to her which made her laugh harder.

“They look stunning together.” Ethan said suddenly.

Alex just looked at him before downing his drink, and then he noticed that she was making her way back to them.

“Having fun?” he asked her, forcing a smile.

“Hell yes!” she told him before grabbing Alex’s hand, “Dance with me Alex!”

Alex complied with her and let her pull him to the floor. The pulse of the music was strong, the music almost deafening in its volume. She stopped near the middle of the crowd, and moved close to Alex, but not touching. She danced to the rhythm, and he moved to match her shortly after. The floor was packed and there were many times that someone else bumped into them and forced their bodies closer. Before very long their bodies were so close that on every movement they were brushing against each other. An almost constant touching.

Alex felt a pair of eyes on them, it almost felt like they were trying to burn a hole through his head. Before he even finished that thought Kira startled him by pressing against him and wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down towards her; so that her lips brushed against his cheek when she whispered to him.

“We’re being watched.”

Her words confirmed what Alex had been thinking and she leaned back just a little bit after she spoke; but they were still close enough that if they were bumped into again they would be kissing.

“I feel it too.” he confirmed to her, before he started trying to glance around the room discreetly.

He looked to Jacob and Ethan first, in case it was just them; but a breath later and he knew it wasn’t them because they were engrossed in a conversation with a waitress who had brought their food and more drinks. He noted, very briefly that Kira’s glass had been emptied and that the old glasses were being removed. _I wonder if it was Jake or Ethan… cause she wasn’t at the table long enough to drink it._

Alex continued to look around and didn’t see any suspicious people or subjects right away, he noticed that Kira was also looking around, likely for the same reason he was. After a few more frustrating seconds, the song ended, and Kira tugged him back to the table.

Kira sat down and joined in the conversation easily, seeming to shake off the bad feelings of being spied on. _I swear if I find out that Athrun has someone spying on me, I will never forgive him._

She picked up the drink that Jacob had gotten for her, and she drank it slowly enjoying the fruity taste, but she also knew if she drank it too quickly, then she wouldn’t be able to stand by the end of the night. She truly didn’t want to ever repeat that experience. She could very clearly remember Alex and Jacob carrying her back to the base; on the only occasion they’d been allowed to leave base and be social with the outside world. She could remember Ethan trailing behind, not sure what to do to help. She also remembered them all staying with her in the bathroom that night, while she spent the whole night alternately passing out and vomiting.

She shook off the memory with a smile, before she joined back into the conversation. She watched as Alex whispered to the other two about the strange occurrence on the dance floor. The feeling of being watched, stalked. Kira shivered and shook off the paranoia though, who would be foolish enough to do something like that in a room full of soldiers and trainees?

The answer came to her just as quickly as the question left her though, someone that has nothing left to lose. She glanced at the boys and knew that they were aware of the same thing. Kira tried to shake it off and took a long drink, trying to force herself to relax.

“Can’t settle?” Ethan asked after Jacob got up and went to the bar and Alex was having a conversation with an old friend of his.

“Yeah, just can’t shake the feeling.”

“I feel it too. Who do you think it could be?”

“No idea.”

Ethan grinned, “What if it’s just Thompson trying to fuck with us?”

Kira smiled and relaxed at that, “That’d be just like him!”

They fell into a companionable silence, enjoying the music.

“Hey!” a female voice called and Kira was startled to see a woman walking towards them. “What’re you doing here?” She was dressed in a black mini skirt, and a black corset that had pink laces on the front and sides. Her shoes were ankle boots with pink laces also, and they had lace flowers on the sides. Her necklace was a ZAFT symbol and Kira knew by looking at it that it was a custom made piece. She had on ear cuffs that had dragon designs on them, and they were silver. Her hair went to her hips and it was a combination of pink, black and white and her eyes were dark; nearly black. She had dark eyeliner and her lips were ruby red.

Kira realized with a jolt that it was “Skylar! How are you? We just came to relax.”

“Nice. I’ve been good, glad to finally be off a warship though. I was dying for some down time.”

“I bet you were!” Kira said with a smile, “Want to join us?” she asked as she gestured to one of the empty seats.

“Sure, all the others ran off on me!” she said, trying to sound horrified but she was laughing too. She sat down across from Kira, and she looked at Ethan and smiled at him, offering her hand.

“I’m Skylar.” he took her hand and shook it.

“Hello, Skylar. I’m Ethan.” the two of them hit it off right away, and it was almost like they forgot that Kira was there. Kira went to the bar to get another drink, she was beginning to feel a little tipsy, so she decided on just getting a soda. The bartender was a young woman who grinned at Kira when she got the soda.

“At least someone around here is making good choices tonight.” she said with a smile. “Some of these guys can get a little rough when they’ve had too much.” she said with a frown. “We try to watch them, but it’s hard to when we’ve got this many people in here. Although, since this is a soldiers hang out, we’ve had a _lot_ less problems.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a few friends here, so I’m not worried; and I can handle myself.”

“You a soldier?” she asked, looking her up and down.

“Yes ma’am. Just graduated.”

“Ah, I’m not gonna fuss over you then. My brother’s enlisted, and he’s told me some stories about what they put you through in training.”

“They work us pretty hard but it pays off.”

“I’m sure, and thank you.”

“For what?” Kira asked a bit surprised.

“Your enlistment. If it weren’t for volunteers like you, we’d be in a lot of trouble here.”

“Oh, well, thank you; but I didn’t do it for the thanks.”

“Oh, I’d imagine not. You’re like the rest of us. You just want peace.”

Kira stayed at the bar, talking to her until Alex came up behind her; looking stressed.

“There you are! Where have you been?” he demanded, “You had me worried!”

“I’ve been right here, you could’ve called me.”

“I didn’t think you’d be able to hear it in all this noise. Are you almost ready to go?”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks Alex.” she said her goodbyes to the bartender before she left with Alex. She saw that Ethan and Jacob were waiting outside also.

“You okay to drive?” she asked them, and after they assured her they were, they all left; promising to text her when they got home.

 

End Chapter 8

Word Count: 4,014


	9. The Mission

A/N: Here’s the next chapter. Hope you like it. Next scheduled update: October 4, 2014. A chapter may be posted early _if I get enough reviews._ If not, then you have to wait the full two weeks. I know, I’m mean.

NOTE: A character you meet in the chapter is based off the character of Gino Weinberg from Code Geass R2. This is the disclaimer for that also, he’s not mine. I wish he was, because he is _badass_.

 

 

Captured

Chapter 09: The Mission

 

* * *

 

_6-5-71 CE_

_1252 hours_

_ZAFT docking area_

 

“Where the fuck is Jacob?”

 

“Who knows, but he better get here quick or the commander is gonna have his ass. First deployment and he’s late showing up.”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be here in just a minute.”

 

“Well, he better get here before Skyy does, she’ll rip him a new one.”

 

“Not just him, we’re all gonna be in trouble. We are his team mates after all.”

 

They waited around a few more minutes before a body crashed, running full tilt, into Kira. Knocking the both of them to the ground, Kira who was so used to them doing all this in combat training; immediately put a boot in the persons gut and threw them off of her.

 

She realized a moment later, with a start that it was Jacob on the ground, groaning in pain from the kick.

 

“Serves you right, for running in here like that.” Alex was saying to him as he helped Kira to her feet. Kira glanced at her watchwatch before snapping at them that they needed to get inside, otherwise they really would be late for their first deployment. She turned and started jogging towards the ship, refusing to be late. Alex and Ethan were close behind her.

 

Jacob scrambled to his feet, running to catch up with his team mates.

 

 

* * *

 

_Bridge of the_ _Caernarfon_

_1300 hours_

 

The newly formed Team Skyy stood at attention in front of their new commander, Eliza Skyy, and the captain; who insisted he be called Gino. He never did give his last name. He was a very tall blonde, who looked to be in his early teens. He had bright blue eyes, and was very attractive all things considered.

 

The only sound on the bridge was from the consoles, quiet clicks and beeps as the ship launched. Kira stood straight, and tried not to be unnerved by the near silence. She could hear the steady breathing of everyone on board, and the loud thunder of her heart in her eyes. The excitement was beginning to get to her but she fought not to show that.

 

She sensed the very slight shift in Ethan’s posture, his weight; and she wondered if anyone else did. She felt almost hyper sensitive, and she watched her commander, and she watched all of them back.

 

After what felt like an eternity Eliza smiled, nearly a smirk. “Welcome aboard the Caernarfon. We are currently heading towards Lunar Base M-4. We are expecting to arrive in five days, but our mission will not begin until the 20th of this month. Kira. Alex.”

 

“Yes ma’am.” their responses rang loudly in the near silence of the bridge.

 

“In the interim you both will be working with the engineering core. You will help them finalize all the specifications for the new machines. Ethan, Jacob; you will both be working with the members of the Space Core Unit 1. You will be helping them with the newest recruits to make sure they can handle the anti-gravity battles.”

 

“Yes, ma’am!” Ethan’s voice was sharp, showing his nerves; while Jacob’s was much more relaxed not showing anything other than pure confidence.

 

“When we arrive at M-4, we will be assisting in the attack on the Earth Forces base at M-2. The objective is to capture and hold the base. The Johnson team will be in the lead, we are there as a secondary squad. The members of that team have a lot of battle experience, you can all learn something from them.”

 

“You are dismissed.”  she said, watching them like a hawk looking for it’s dinner.

 

“Yes ma’am!” Their voices echoed together in the enclosed space. She turned her back on them and left the room through a side door that they suspected led to her quarters.

 

The captain, Gino, was watching them as well, a fond smile on his face. “Just try to get some rest until the team come looking for you, they’ll wear you thin.”

 

There was a startled silence for a moment, none of them expecting to be addressed by the captain. “Thank you, Captain.” Kira said after a moment.

 

“Ah, nah, none of that now.” He said, surprising them even further, “Call me _Gino_. Not Captain, not sir. Got it?” He said with a wink.

 

“Uh… yeah… Gino. Thanks.”

 

“Good! Now get going.” Kira nodded, trying to brush off the shock of the man’s carefree attitude. _That was really weird._

 

Alex led the way back out into the hall where they all took a deep breathe, “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

 

“Only because she didn’t know how close Jake was to being late!”

 

“Hey! I wasn’t!”  


“You almost were,” Kira said, shaking her head in mock disappointment, “Really, that was way to close a call though.” she said growing serious.

 

“I know, guys. Sorry.” he mumbled, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. “Give it a break already.”

 

_Why is he blushing?_ Kira wondered, but decided not to press the issue, _in front of them_ _at least._   She decided on a whim.

 

“Well, I’m going to go get my stuff settled in.”

 

“We better too.” Alex said with a sigh, “How lucky for you Kira, getting a room to yourself.”

 

“Ha. That just means I won’t have any of you fools to talk to. I still can’t believe that they’re taking issue with us sharing a room now, when we all bunked together for the entirety of the training.”

 

“The only thing I can figure is because it’s two to a room here, instead of four like it was at the Academy.”  


Kira shrugged, keeping any other thoughts to herself on the matter. There was no use in getting into a debate about it, they couldn’t change it. _Rules are rules, I suppose._

 

“I’ll see you at dinner.” Kira said, slipping into her room and hearing the hiss of the door as it slid shut. She glanced around at the room, thinking it was rather plain. _It is a warship after all._ It was very similar to the room at the Academy, two beds on each side of the room, two desks and cabinets and shelves built into the walls for personal items. Kira glanced around the room, wishing she had a personal bathroom like at Academy. _Communal showers_ _…_ _. how fun._ _Could be worse I suppose._

 

Kira sighed before walking over to one of the beds, glancing at the other bed and thinking it would be rather strange to not have someone to share the room with. _Oh well. I always know where to find the boys at least._ She’d only seen two other women on ship so far, and they were both working on the bridge; and she wondered if they were sharing a room. After a moment of pondering she shook it off, retrieving her carry on bag, and throwing it onto one of the shelves before spreading out on the bed, closing her eyes and remembering all the information that they had been sent prior to boarding.

 

She sat up and stripped off the jacket to her uniform, throwing it onto the shelves near her bag before she grabbed her laptop, and threw herself back onto her bed. Taking a few minutes to settle in before she opened the computer and starting entering the security system, hoping that all her papers had been cleared already.

 

_Access Granted: Kira Yamato._

 

Kira smiled before opening a handful of programs, including her email and a video chat line. She glanced at the clock and paused for a few moments, just thinking.

 

She opened the email before typing out a short and simple message.

 

_To: Athrun Zala (a.zala@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_From: Kir_ _a Yamato (k.yamato@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_Subject: Safe_

 

_AZ-_

_Made it on board._ _Captain is really different. Settling in now. Have a room to myself. I love you. Hope to hear from you soon._

_KY_

 

She opened another few, sending a similar message to Patrick, with a request they he let her parents know she was okay. _Only until the tenth, then I can contact them._

 

She spent the next few minutes, sorting through all the email she had in her personal account. Discovering it to mostly be junk, except for a message from her mom, dated the night before. She opened it and was happy to see that it was a simple message, wishing her to be safe and to contact them when she could.

 

Kira sighed and closed it, _I wish I could now, but I know it_ _’_ _s a safety issue._   She laid back with her computer still resting on her lap and stared at the ceiling for a while before she heard it ding, with an incoming message.

 

She was surprised to see it was from Athrun and opened it.

 

_To: Kira Yamato (k.yamato@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_From: Athrun Zala (a.zala@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_Subject: Re: Safe_

 

_KY-_

_Glad to hear it. Stay safe. Can_ _’_ _t talk now, will message later. I love you too._

_AZ_

 

 

Kira smiled, and closed the message, _If he_ _’_ _s being that short I know he_ _’_ _s in the middle of somethin_ _g._ The computer dinged again, and she opened the message seeing that it was from Patrick.

 

 

_To: Kira Yamato (k.yamato@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_From: Patrick Zala (p.zala@ZodiacAlliance.gov)_

_Subject: Re: Arrival_

 

_Kira,_

_I am glad that you sent me a message, an_ _d I will gladly send the message on to your parents that you are well. Lenore also says that she loves you, as do your parents._

 

_Take care, Kira._

 

_Patrick Zala,_

_Supreme Council Chairmen_

 

 

Kira smiled, and closed it, thankful for the quick reply. She hoped that Athrun could reply quickly, but she knew, even though he was not on a mission currently that he was still very busy.

 

She set the laptop down on the desk and closed her eyes, drifting into the quiet darkness.

 

**BAM! BAM!**

 

“Kira! You there?!” She heard Jacob’s voice, and she realized with an embarassed start that she had fallen asleep.

 

“Come in. Quit banging on the door!” she called and the door slid open to admit all three of her team mates. They looked surprised to see her laying on the bed.

 

“A nap, Kira? Are you really that bored?” Alex teased, earning himself a swat from her.

 

“You know I didn’t fall asleep on purpose.”

 

“Did you message Athrun?” Ethan asked, gesturing to the laptop that was on her desk.

 

“Yeah. He was busy.” She said with a smile, “Well, what did you all come looking for me for?”

 

“Dinner time!” Jacob said with an ecstatic tone in his voice, as he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet, “Let’s go!” He was dragging her to the door, and didn’t even give her the chance to grab her jacket. She noticed then that none of them had theirs on either; so she let it pass.

 

They made it to the cafeteria in short time, and settled in quickly. Kira noticed rather quickly that she was the only woman there, but brushed it off. She had known when she signed up that it was a male dominated career field.

 

As she was finishing up a young man walked up to her, he had to be in his early thirties and introduced himself as Aiden. He was part of the engineering team, and asked if they would like to come and look over some of the notes and designs after they finished. Alex and Kira looked at each other for a moment, before agreeing to and Aiden sat with them, and they had a short conversation about it before they said goodbye to Ethan, before leaving. Jacob was so engrossed in his own conversation with another pilot that he did not notice them leaving at first.

 

The hours flew by quickly, as they all worked on the project. Eventually Kira had to call it a night; long after many others had, when she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Alex was still with her, but he was watching her more than he was working.

 

“Come on, Kira.” he said, “It’ll be here in the morning, you’re about to fall asleep on your notes.” he teased. She smiled, but didn’t argue, she knew it was the truth; and she could hear his tiredness in his voice, and see it in his movements.

 

He walked her to her room, without really thinking about it. “Hey.” he called as she turned to go in, she turned back to talk to him.

 

“Don’t push yourself so hard. We’re a team, remember?”

 

“Yeah, Alex. Sorry. See you in the morning.” She said, as she quickly went to her bed, stripping down to her underwear and nearly passing out.

 

The next four days flew by, with all of them spending breakfast and dinner together. Jacob and Ethan were making great progress with their work, and Kira was excited to share what she could about the improvements they were working on.

 

Kira was worried though, she had received a few short emails from Athrun, just saying that he loved her and that he was really busy; and promising to explain as soon as he could.

 

She accepted that, but she also wondered if they had been sent on a mission again, as there was very little reason he would be _that_ busy at home. She knew better than to ask, she’d never want to put him, or anyone with him in danger like that. She closed her eyes and said a prayer for them, for all ZAFT soldiers, every morning and night; as did many of the other soldiers.

 

Kira had discovered that their were only five women on board, including herself and Commander Skyy. Two of them worked on the bridge, and the other woman worked as part of the mechanics for the mobile suits. Kira had gone to the hanger to check on the Strike, and re-familiarize herself with it when she had met Asia. The mechanic. They had spent several hours talking about it, before Aiden came looking for her.

 

“We’ll be landing late tonight.” Asia said breaking her out of her thoughts.

 

“Yeah, finally.” Kira affirmed with a grin.

 

“Are you excited?”

 

“Not yet, Commander Skyy said that the mission won’t even start for another ten days.” Kira said, “Until then, it’s business as usual.”

 

Asia nodded, agreeing with Kira’s assessment. “I wonder if it will be a long drawn out fight.” she said with a frown.

 

“I hope not, but…”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Yamato!” Kira turned to see Joshua, a member of the Space Core jogging towards her.

 

“Hey.” She greeted him, “What’s up?”

 

“We need your help.” He said, smiling at Asia, before turning back to Kira and explaining that they needed a female pilot to run some of the simulators to see if the data was accurate. He looked embarrassed about it but Kira just laughed it off, saying she would be glad to help. She promised to catch up with Asia later, before she left.

 

 

* * *

 

_6-25-71 CE_

_1847 hours_

 

“All units! Hold your positions!” Commander Johnson’s voice broke sharply over the air waves. Kira rolled her eyes, _None of us have moved, since the last time he_ _said it._ She sighed but kept alert, knowing that this kind of silence and peace could very well be a trap.

 

Shortly after Commander Skyy’s voice came over the intercom, “Squad Two; what’s your status?”

 

“Green.” Jacob said.

 

“Squad Four?”

 

“Green.” Alex replied.

 

“Squad Six?”

 

“Status yellow, no change here.” I told her, watching the enemy storage unit to my right.

 

“Squad Eight?”

 

“Green.”

 

“Squad Ten?”

 

“Green.”

 

“Squad Eleven?”

 

“Green.”

 

The line fell silent again, waiting for some change. _This is taking forever, how stubborn are these EA officials gonna be? We have them surrounded._

 

Shortly after Kira’s rather aggravated thoughts Captain Gino’s voice came over the line, “We have captured the enemy base; all units stand by. I repeat we have captured the base; all units, stand by.” Kira smiled, glad to hear that message. It had been an exhausting six days.

 

“Squad Six, Eleven, Eight and Ten; return to the ship. Squad Nine, move four points south of point six. Squad three will be falling back to point ten. All others hold position.”

 

“Roger.” All the voices mixed together and melded on the radio. Kira led squad six back to the ship, and dismounted happily.

 

“Yamato! How you feeling?”

 

Kira turned to the voice, seeing that it was the Caernarfon’s doctor, Lauren. “I’m fine, just a bit sore.” she nodded before walking off to hassle one of the other squad leaders, Kira watched for a moment to see that it was Nathan Jones. Nathan was a nice guy, after you got to know him. He was very… rough around the edges. He was a large man, he was built like a tank; and was very gruff.

 

“I’m fine Jones. How are you?”

 

“Ha! Not fine at all, my ass is sore from all those hours sitting idle. Could’ve been done with this shit hours ago.”

 

“Yeah, my legs are numb.” Another voice broke in, and Kira was unsurprised to see that it was the leader of squad eight, Earl Hopkins.

 

She glanced around and saw that everyone seemed to be suffering some amount of discomfort; but she saw that Ethan was talking with one of the mechanics and she briefly worried if he was okay, but brushed it off. _If something was wrong, surely he would have said so._

 

“What’cha think about getting kicked off the line for Wilson?” Hopkins was asking her, she shrugged before replying.

 

“Doesn’t bother me at all, he’s been a soldier a lot longer ya know. It makes sense that he would be put in such a high tension spot; he’s got the experience to know what to look for and how to react.”

 

“You’re such a diplomat.” Nathan replied with a laugh.

 

*Ding* *Ding*

 

“Uh.. pardon me.” Kira said quickly removing herself from the small group that had formed. She pulled her smartphone out of the inner pocket of her jacket and quickly opened the email that was causing the sound.

 

 

_To: Kira Yamato (_ [ _k.yamato@ZodiacAlliance.gov_ ](mailto:k.yamato@ZodiacAlliance.gov) _)_

_From: Athrun Zala (_ [ _a.zala@ZodiacAlliance.gov_ ](mailto:a.zala@ZodiacAlliance.gov) _)_

_Subject: Missed chances_

 

_KY-_

_I_ _’_ _m sorry for all the short messages, we_ _’_ _ve been really busy working on a new test design for mass production._

 

_I saw the news about M-2. Congrats. I_ _hope you are well. I will be arriving on 7-14 with the Le Creuset team, and some of the council members will be arriving after that. I can_ _’_ _t say when exactly though._

 

_I miss you. See you soon, Love._

_-AZ_

 

 

Kira was surprised at the abruptness and speed of the message, _it hasn_ _’_ _t even been two hours!_

 

A small smile crossed her lips, silently excited to see a message from her beloved; she was so distracted by the message that she didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind her.

 

She became hyper aware in a split second.

 

A person standing behind her, holding onto her arm, breath so close it was brushing against her neck, from an upward angle. She realized it was a man, no woman was that tall. Her reflexes kicked in a second later, as she dropped her phone, _please don_ _’_ _t let_ _it break,_ grabbed her assailant's arm, and flipped him over to his front, going down with him; crashing to the floor hard. The sound of them hitting the floor echoed in the hanger, attracting everyone’s attention.

 

With a start Kira came back to herself, and realized that she had her knife pressed against Captain Gino’s throat. He had a startled expression on his face, and his head was tilted to the side just enough that he could watch her, watching him. It didn’t occur to Kira until much later, that that was the first time she had seen a genuinely serious look on his face.

 

She quickly pulled the knife away and climbed off his back, offering her hand to help him up, which he took. She apologized as soon as they were both back on their feet, and he laughed it off, forgiving her instantly and handing her back her phone that had _thankfully_ not been damaged when she dropped it.

 

He told her that Commander Skyy was looking for her, and apparently her emotions were showing on her face because he winked before promising that she was not in trouble; and that it was a good thing. She laughed nervously, before following him.

 

 

 

End Chapter 9

Word Count: 3,515


	10. Fear

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed. I do own all my original characters, I worked to make them they are mine, please do not use them.

 

Captured

Chapter 10: Fear

 

 

* * *

 

_7-13-71 CE_

_2200 hours_

_Gamow Warship_

 

The moon was glowing, or maybe that was just the contrast from the deep black emptiness from space that surrounded it.

 

I stood leaning against a railing in a disused hallway on the Gamow, near the hanger. My feet floating inches off the floor, as I gazed at the moon, and thought of the only woman that I’d _ever_ loved.

 

“Hey,” I turned to see the young pilot of the Aegis drifting towards me. “Are you okay?” he asked as he drifted closer.

 

“I’m alright.” I said, turning back to the window. I felt when he brushed against me, and I saw that he had grabbed onto the railing as well; looking out at the moon with a contemplative look on his face.

 

“I don’t believe you.” I heard him speak softly a moment later, I turned my head to the side to see he hadn’t even turned towards me. He continued to look out at the moon, floating next to me. He shifted then, to face me, his hip braced against the rail, “You look to upset to really be alright. Really, you look almost heartbroken.” he said softly, looking very concerned for me.

 

“What does a kid like you know about heartbreak?” I asked, looking away from him. Hoping that I really wasn’t that readable and that it had been a lucky guess. _But after all he went through with Kira… he might know better than most._

 

“I think you know that I know more than I should have to.” He responded, “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s alright. But if you do, I’m here.” he said, finally turning away from me.

 

We stayed in the silence for what felt like a lifetime before I spoke again. “Are you excited? To see her again?”

 

“Of course. I miss Kira every second that I’m away from her. It just makes it worse to know that she’s in the military now and that she’s in danger all the time.”

 

“...” I stayed quiet, not sure why I even asked. Of course

 

“What’s her name?” he asked after a long silence.

 

 “What makes you think it’s a girl?”

 

“Fine.” he said, and I thought he was finally going to drop it, then he spoke again. “What’s his name then?”

 

“You are so stubborn.”

 

“So I’ve heard.”

 

“...”

 

We lapsed back into silence, and he was still watching out the window, as we got closer to the moon. _We’ll be landing soon._

 

“Melanie.” he paused in his movements, and turned back to me. He waited, and I just kept watching out the window; thinking about what to say. Instead I pulled my wallet out, and flipped it open, so that he could see the picture that was in the plastic there.

 

He took it after a moment, and seemed to study it. I knew exactly what it was that he was seeing.

 

A woman, standing a little over five foot tall, with dark eyes, and dark hair that was braided and flipped over her shoulder. It reached all the way to her waist. She had black glasses on, with a white t-shirt, blue jeans, a blue green sweater around her waist, and red sandals. She had a black watch on, and she held her phone in the opposite hand. She may appear average to most people, but to me she was gorgeous. She was my life. My one true love.

 

“She’s from Junius 6. I haven’t gotten to see her since I enlisted.” He looked at me then, a shocked expression marring his face.

 

“Since you enlisted?” he repeated, as if saying it would change it. “Rusty. That’s been almost seventeen months. Why haven’t you called her?” he had a stricken expression, and his eyes had widened. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen him look that upset over something, other than his own problems with Kira.

 

“I know.” I whispered, “But… we had such a horrible fight when I left. I don’t know what to say to her.”

 

He hmm’ed instead of answering me, and it took me a moment to realize that he was thinking about it. “Why not just call and let her know that you’re okay? That you miss her? Or love her?” he looked at me quite plainly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

Well, I suppose it is.

 

“I…” I hesitated not really sure of myself, why hadn’t I called her?

 

He watched me, I wasn’t looking at him but I could feel his piercing green eyes on me, as if they would burn a hole in my head if I said something ridiculous.

 

After just a few moments under that gaze, I faltered, looking at him. He seemed to be searching my expression for some kind of answer, and I suppose he got what he was looking for because he sighed before handing back my wallet. However, when I reached to take it from him, he latched onto my wrist and pushed away from the railing, effectively dragging me with him.

 

“Where are we going?” I asked as we floated down the hall.

 

“To call Melanie. How do you think she feels? Not hearing from you in a year and a half.”

 

I looked at the floor, shame filling me. Athrun jerked us to a stop and pulled me into his room. Before I really could protest or come up with an argument, he was already opening a video comm and I knew arguing with him would be pointless. Athrun could be damn stubborn when he set his mind to something.

* * *

 

_Caernarfon Warship_

_Bedrooms_

_2358 hours_

_Kira’s POV_

 

“Kira? You still up?” a voice called softly, I closed my eyes and considered pretending that I was asleep but decided that I didn’t really mind. I knew there was no way I was sleeping tonight anyway.

 

“Yeah, come in.” I rested my head against the head of my chair, with my eyes still closed. I hear the soft slide of the door as it opened, and the gentle, almost silent  footsteps were very telling as to who just entered my room.

 

“Can’t sleep?” I asked him, he only responded with a soft hum, knowing that it was only rhetorical anyway. His footsteps stopped directly behind me, if it had been anyone else I might have felt tense or insecure; more so when I felt two warm hands touch my neck as they rested on my shoulder, before wrapping around my neck in a soft hug.

 

“What’s wrong, Kira?” his voice was deeper than usual, but I brushed that detail off knowing that it was likely due to the long hours we had both worked.

 

I leaned back into his embrace, thinking briefly that he was very warm. We stayed in silence for quite some time, I knew he was waiting for an answer, but I really couldn’t think of one to give.

 

“Kira…” there was another pause, “Talk to me, please.”

 

“I don’t know what to say.”

 

“Is it something Zala said?” he whispered after another pause, his breath brushing against my cheek from an upward angle, and I opened my eyes, to see why.

 

Long purple hair, and worried silver eyes filled my vision, and I closed my eyes again; adjusting in the chair so I was resting against his chest.

 

“He’ll be here in a few hours.” I told him, I felt his muscles tense under me, and I noticed then that the shirt was a different fabric than our uniforms.

 

“I had assumed so.”

 

“The council is coming too.”

 

“Not all of them.” he whispered, concern flooding into his voice so much that it was all I really noticed.

 

“Stop worrying about me.”

 

“Never.” he responded, with a firmness taking over his tone which told me that he would not be dissuaded.

 

We stayed like that for a long time, I could feel myself drifting off in his arms but I didn’t really care. He was warm, and I was exhausted. “Kira?” I hear the soft whisper, but couldn’t bring myself to wake up enough to answer him.

 

I felt his arms slide down and before I knew what he was doing I felt him lift me and I was suddenly cradled against his chest. I could feel him moving, and I felt him set me down on my bed before I could really comprehend anything. I felt him put a cover over me, and in my half aware state I reached out and grabbed him before he could walk away.

 

He stopped, and turned back towards me, “Don’t… cold... ” I mumbled and I knew that it made no sense but he apparently understood what I meant.

 

I heard him sigh, “Kira… it’s not…”

 

“Please?” I mumbled, knowing what his protest was but not caring.

 

“Fine. Alright.” he mumbled back; and I felt him sit on the edge of the bed and heard his boots hit the floor before he rolled and laid next to me.

 

“Than’s.”

 

“Go back to sleep.” his voice was soft, and he was warm. I drifted off very quickly after that, curling closer to him, right as I drifted off I felt his arms wrap around me.

 

* * *

 

_Caernarfon Warship_

_Hanger_

_0600 hours_

 

“Le Creuset team!” a female voice called out to the group of young men standing at the foot of several mobile suits.

 

“Ma’am!” they snapped to salute on reflex before they even realized who it was.

 

“At ease soldiers. You’re off duty, so am I.” Eliza Skyy said as she approached them, “Feel free to do as you wish until 1300.” she said before she walked off, in what seemed to be a rather abrupt fashion.

 

They all stood there for a long moment, surprised, “Well…”  


“I… I’m gonna go find Kira.” a certain bluenette said after a short pause.

 

“Don’t you think it’s kinda early?” another man asked, they all looked to see a red haired man walking up to them. He had on a black tank top that showed off a peace sign tattoo on his arm. His hair reached his shoulder and was choppy. He had on a mechanics uniform.

 

As he approached, they noticed that he had earrings in, just simple silver hoops; and he had greenish eyes.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry; you’re Athrun Zala, aren’t you? Her fiance?”  


“Yes.” he responded to the red head, with a bit of a cold tone.

 

“Ah, sorry man. I’m Rich. Kira just got off duty at 2300; so she’s probably asleep.”  


“Oh,” Athrun said, warming back up immediately.

 

“Yeah, sorry. She just got off a double, so she’s crashed.”

 

“RICH!” he winced at the shout, turning to see Asia storming towards him.

 

“What?” he asked her, with an apologetic smile towards the Le Creuset guys.

 

“This is no time to be playing around!” she snapped at him, seeming annoyed.

 

“Oy! I can’t do anything else ‘til Kira comes back on shift, so back off.”

 

The woman sighed, “Alright, sorry man.”

 

“It’s fine Asia, just chill out. You know Kira-”

 

“It’s not about that, the girl was about to pass out on her feet, but she’s so damn _stubborn_. You should get some sleep too.” she said after a moment.

 

“I’m going soon.” he said, she waved at the boys standing there before spinning and walking back towards the mobile suits.

 

“Anyway, Athrun, Kira’s room is in hall C, room 5. She never has the passcode locked, so ya.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Her teammates go in and out, just knock. Otherwise she might shoot you.”

 

Athrun lifted an eyebrow but decided not to comment on it.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Sure. If you all want to lay down I can take you to some of the open rooms?” he turned to the others, as Athrun walked off to go find Kira.

 

* * *

_0610_

_Kira’s room_

_Alex’s POV_

 

I woke slowly, still a bit hazy; and felt Kira shift against my chest. _That’s not what woke me…_

 

It was at that moment that I became fully aware that someone was standing behind me, and I had a feeling that it wasn’t anyone I wanted to see.

 

I turned my head slightly to the left to see, none other than Athrun Zala standing there, glaring at the back of my head. As if he thought if he did it long enough my head would explode.

 

“‘ello.” I said after a long moment of staring.

 

 _“Why in the **fuck** are you in bed with my fiance?”_ he hissed at me after another moment of silent glaring.

 

 _Because you’re not here, and she’s sad and lonely and depressed because she can’t talk to you; you piece of crap._ I thought to myself, but I knew better than to speak those words, while she was asleep at least. Instead of responding with words I slipped out of the bed, Kira shifting and making an annoyed noise before I covered her with the blanket.

 

“Cold…” she mumbled as I bent to grab my boots, before making a silent gesture towards the door. “We’ll be right back, go back to sleep.” I whispered to her.

 

Zala followed me out of the room, the door sliding shut again quietly. I bent over and pulled my boots back on, before standing straight and facing him.

 

 ** _“Why?”_** he hissed at me again, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Because, she’s upset and she can’t sleep but she doesn’t want to talk about it.  Look, Zala, I don’t like you; but you should have more respect for your own fiance. She’s not messing around on you if that’s what you’re thinking. She’s just lonely, and she misses you. You’ve been a cold bastard lately.”

 

He opened his mouth, as if to protest; but I cut him off. “I don’t care, I don’t wanna hear it. Every second that she’s off duty, she’s worrying over you. Show her some respect by not being such a jealous bastard, alright?”

 

He stared at me for a long moment, as if shocked silent.

 

“Thank you.”

 

That’s the last thing I expected to hear. “I know she’s struggling, but there was a security compromise, so I couldn’t talk to her often until it was fixed. Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to spend some time with my fiance.”

 

“Good.” I said, rolling my eyes at him, “She just got off a double at 2300; so she needs her sleep.”

 

“So I’ve heard.” he said, as he walked back into her room, the door closing behind him.

 

“Jackass.” I muttered to myself before I walked off to my own room, brushing a dark purple strand out of my eyes as I went.

 

* * *

_Athrun’s POV_

 

I stopped inside the door, and waited for a moment watching Kira silently. Her breathing was slow and even, telling me that she was still sound asleep; but she was curled up under the covers as if she was still cold.

 

I heard footsteps walking away, and knew that Hayden was leaving. His words stung, the truth hurting more than any lie could.

 

I sat down at her desk, and took off my boots, stripped off my jacket and shirt. I walked over to her bed and slipped under the covers with her, pulling her against my chest.

 

She immediately settled into my arms, curling up against me. This is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I noticed, briefly, that her skin was cold, but then I noticed she had on a pair of short shorts, and a tank top. No wonder she’s so cold.

 

She brushed her cheek against my chest and I felt her curl even closer, so that every inch of her body was pressed against mine. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

 

* * *

_Kira’s POV_

 

_Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh._

 

I woke up when Athrun climbed into bed with me, although at first I wasn’t entirely sure if it was him or Alex; but then I realized it had to be. His scent was a dead giveaway, and the fact that he was shirtless. I was surprised that he was here already, but I was not going to complain; I missed him.

 

_Alex may be bold sometimes, but he wouldn’t cross that line. He wouldn’t want to cause me that kind of grief if someone were to walk in and see him shirtless in bed with me._

 

I felt Athrun tense up when I squirmed towards him, and practically plastered myself to him. He squirmed for a moment, as if trying to shift back but every time he moved, I followed him. Not just because I knew he was slightly uncomfortable, but because his skin was mind numbingly hot. I was freezing, and I didn’t even know why.

 

When we finally settled together, I was struck by the familiarity of the two of us curled together like this. We had done it often as children, and even with the large amount of time that had passed, it was still a comforting place to be; in his arms like this.

 

After a little bit of time in the silence, I became aware of his breath brushing against my hair and cheek. I could nearly feel his heartbeat against my skin on his chest.

 

I felt his breathing change, only a moment before he spoke, “Kira… are you awake?” he whispered, his lips brushing against the crown of my head.

 

I considered playing possum, but decided against it. “Yeah.” I mumbled, my voice still thick from sleep.

 

“Did I wake you?”

 

“Not really.” I told him with a smile, leaning back to see his face. It was pitch black in the room, so all I could really see was a vague outline. We laid like that for an unknown amount of time, before I leaned back and switched on a small desk lamp; wishing to see his face again.

 

Really, it hadn’t been that long since we had seen each other, but considering all the years we were separated; it was horrible being separated at all. Military life is really going to be rough on us.

 

When I turned back to him, I felt a cold shock run through my body. There were dark lines under his eyes, and he looked nearly exhausted.

 

“Are you alright?” the near panic in my voice seemed to alarm him to some extent.

 

“I’m alright, Kira. I’ve just been very busy; and worried about you.”

 

I wasn’t sure what to say, the guilt eating at me now. _He looks like this over being worried?_

 

“Kira… don’t look so guilty. It’s alright, it’s mostly just because of how busy I’ve been. There has been a lot of things going on in the homeland. Don’t worry about it… It’s early, let’s get some more sleep, okay?” he said, as he shifted down so that our heads were level.

 

I hesitated for a moment, before glancing at my clock, seeing that it was 0732. I sighed and nodded, I could feel the exhaustion gripping me, and I knew that if I kept brushing it off, that something bad was likely to happen later.

 

He smiled at me and leaned forward, brushing his lips very gently, and briefly against mine. It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to react before he was moving away, and reaching across me to turn the light off again.

 

I frowned at him, annoyed that he’d moved away before I could even return the gesture. After he shut off the light, and was moving to get settled again, I reached up and stopped him, as he was leaning over me. I couldn’t really see his expression, but I felt the small shifts in his posture, and his breathing when he spoke from where my hand was resting on his cheek.

 

I stayed like that for awhile, unsure of myself for a moment. Athrun had said on numerous occasions that he loved me, but… where did that leave us?

 

I acted then before I could talk myself out of it, I slipped my arm around the base of his hairline; running my fingers through the fine hairs there. Before he had the chance to speak, or react in any way, I jerked my arm down and planted my lips against his, hoping to convey to him how I felt; without using words that failed me so often. He seemed surprised by the abrupt move and his hand shot out next to me to catch himself before he could fall on me, but he responded to my kiss immediately. 

 

And enthusiastically.

 

As soon as he responded I felt a hot rush through my body, and I found myself pressing up, against him before I had really comprehended what I was doing. It felt like lava rushing through my veins, and it burned my skin. It was an amazing rush.

 

He deepened the kiss and I felt his weight shift, and a hand come to rest under my neck; as if to support it. I placed my free hand against his chest, feeling his erratic heart beating against my own.

 

We pulled away, neither really sure who moved away first; trying to catch our breath. I could feel heat on my cheeks, and knew a blush was forming; his eyes were on mine. A deep piercing green, making my blush intensify even more. He just smiled, before leaning down and placing his lips against mine again.

 

This time he didn’t stay there though, he moved along my jawline, before trailing down my neck and stopping at a particularly sensitive spot that he didn’t leave until I was moaning.

 

He then moved back up to whisper in my ear, leaving a trail of heat following where he had touched.

 

“Kira?”

 

“Please,” I murmured back, before shifting down and placing my lips against his chest and I shifted so that my leg pressed against his groin, where there was a rather telling hardness. He dropped his lips against my neck and groaned when I pressed against him again.

 

 _“Please.”_ I whispered again, against his chest when he didn’t move or react right away.

 

He didn’t respond with words, but instead shifted so he was laying more heavily against me, and kissed me again. I knew then, that the heat that was overcoming me, he was feeling just as strongly, if not more.

 

* * *

 

_7-14-71 CE_

_1000 hours_

_Kira’s bedroom_

 

“Kira?” Jacob called as he knocked on her door, he frowned when she didn’t answer. _I know that she’s in there…_ he pressed his ear against the door, and when he didn’t hear anything he called to her again.

 

“Kira! I hope you’re decent, I’m coming in!” he called as he hit the button that would open the sliding door.

 

The door opened and shock couldn’t even begin to describe how he felt at what he saw. There was a naked man in Kira’s bed. Who was awake. And staring at him. Kira was awake too and naked, although she held the sheet against her chest so it wasn’t overly obvious, and she was bright red. “Jake?” she asked.

 

“Uh… sorry… excuse me.” he said as he turned around and walked back out.

 

The door shut with a click behind him, and he decided to wait outside, and he heard movement in the room and realized that they must be getting dressed. _Oh my god… Kira’s…. fuck!_

 

He heard the door slide open, but didn’t turn to speak with whoever had come out of it. He was still struggling to regain his composure after seeing Kira naked, and was staring at the floor when he saw a pair of men’s boots come into his line of sight.

 

He looked up, and was relieved to see that it was Athrun Zala.

 

“Sorry.” he said to Jacob after a moment. “We weren’t expecting anyone so soon,”

 

“No, my bad. I shouldn’t have just walked in like that.” he said, looking at the ground again; trying to fight a blush off. Not knowing what to say either.

 

“Was there something you needed?” Athrun asked after a moment, recognizing that Jacob was really bothered by what he had walked in on.

 

“Yeah, just need to give Kira a message.”

 

Athrun nodded, before opening the door again. “Come on then,” he said as he walked back in, and Jake took a deep breath before following him in.

 

He saw that Kira was sitting at her desk, with a flush across her cheeks. “What’s up Jake?” she asked, as she stared at her lap, obviously just as embarrassed about the incident.

 

“Gino just wanted me to tell you that there’s been a change, we’re off shift until the Councilmen arrive tomorrow afternoon. Uh… enjoy it.” he said, as the words left his mouth he flushed again.

 

“Oh, thanks for letting me know, Jake.”

 

“Sure. Uhm… sorry.” he said, looking away from Kira and his eyes landed on Athrun without any thought; and he saw that he was sitting on Kira’s bed, lounging and looking like he belonged there. _He is her fiance, so he kinda does belong there._

 

“Don’t worry about it Jake.” Kira stood, “Just forget about it.” she said as she walked over and hugged him.

 

“Alright. I actually wasn’t sure if you even knew they were here; since you got off so late last night.”

 

“Yeah, Athrun came in last night so I’d know he was here.”

 

“Ah, well I need to go, I’ll see you later.” Jacob said and quickly retreated.

 

Kira stayed where she was, feeling a little lost and confused. Her emotions were everywhere as it was, and her teammates cold brush off didn’t help at all.

 

She stood there, feeling conflicted until a pair of arms wrapped around her and turned her to face the owner. She looked down, feeling suddenly shy, the young man  that held her just smiled and used his hand to tilt her head up towards him.

 

“Good morning,” he said to her softly, when she finally looked up at him.

 

“Hi.” she whispered back, and embraced him; grateful for his soothing touch.

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

“No…”

 

“Let’s lay back down then,” he whispered, “I bet you’re still tired too, I know I am.” She quietly agreed with him, and they both slipped into the bed, dressed this time, and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

_1300 hours_

_Lounge_

 

“Where do you think Athrun is?” a reddish-haired pilot asked, as he looked around at his comrades; from his own team, Team Johnson and Team Skyy.

 

He noticed a young man, not much younger than himself shift awkwardly; and look out the observation window, as if he was trying, and failing, to act like he didn’t know something.

 

“You’re really bad at that.” Rusty said to him, a bit off-handedly.

 

“What?” he replied, sharply, to quickly. He knows something.

 

“Jacob?” One of his fellow pilots from Team Skyy asked, the kid looked pretty young; he had to be the youngest person in the room.

 

“It’s nothing you need to know about, he’s fine.” Jacob replied, looking more uncomfortable by the second.

 

“On that note,” a dark skinned woman said as she entered the room, “Does anyone know where Kira is? I haven’t seen her since last night, it’s not like her to stay in bed all day.”  


“Hey Asia.” a dark purple haired man responded, “I saw her last night, she had trouble sleeping, so she might have used the chance to sleep in.”

 

The woman, Asia, continued to ask about Kira before Jacob sighed and spoke up, “Asia, Kira’s fine. I went and took her the message from Skyy earlier. Quit worrying about her.”

 

“You’re hiding something.”

 

“It’s really no ones business, leave Kira alone. She needs the rest.”

 

This led to other people jumping in on the conversation, before someone from Team Johnson, who I didn’t know, spoke up. “I think I’m gonna go find Kira, and ask her myself.”

 

“Don’t!” Alex snapped at him, catching everyone off guard.

 

“And why not?”

 

“Are you ignorant? Or did you not notice that the only people missing are Kira and Zala? Who happen to be engaged. Leave them be, they’ll come find us when they want to.” he said, in an annoyed tone; as if it should be obvious.

 

Then again, anyone that knows their story, should have been able to figure it out. It was then that Rusty noticed that the other guy, Jacob, was… blushing? _Oh hell no, what did he do?_

 

No one called attention to it, possibly because no one else noticed it; and Rusty had no desire to put Athrun’s business out there. _I do wonder what is causing him to blush like that though._

 

The conversation changed to the arrival of the councilmen tomorrow, and Rusty was happy to throw his thoughts out there with everyone else.

 

“I think it’s an unnecessary risk. This place hasn’t been under ZAFT control for long enough to bring a council member here, let alone three of them. We do not know what kind of people are still hanging around here.” a very familiar male voice spoke from the doorway. Rusty turned, and as he thought, Athrun was standing by the open door, but Kira was nowhere in sight.

 

“You’ve got a point, have you talked to your father about it?” Miguel spoke up, he had been sitting quietly to the side of the room, working on a tablet. He set it down as she spoke, and was sharing a concerned look with Athrun.

 

“Yeah, but you know how that is. He says that’s I’m being overly cautious.”

 

“As if there is such a thing in times of war.”

 

“Right. Either way, they will be here tomorrow afternoon, anyway.”

 

* * *

 

_Hanger_

 

“So, Kira, how’d you sleep last night?” a dark-skinned woman was asking with a teasing smile.

 

“Uh, what?”

 

“Everyone knows that Athrun was looking for you in the wee hours this morning.” a male voice said, Kira turned and saw that it was Rich speaking. His voice sounded rough, and he looked tired; causing Kira to worry about if he was sleeping enough.

 

“So? That doesn’t mean anything.” Kira said, a bit defensively; totally giving herself away.

 

“Sure… that’s about as true as me being straight is.” Rich said, rather bluntly, which caused Kira and Asia to bust out laughing.

 

“Alright, alright, you got me. Yes, he came and found me this morning! But, really, it’s not a big thing.”

 

“Mhm. Liar.” Asia said, with a grin, she turned to the side, causing her side-ponytail to sway softly.

 

“Really, Kira. You don’t gotta lie to us, you know we’re not going to spread it around.” Which was true, Kira hadn’t known either of them for very long, but as they all worked together very closely they had become close friends rather quickly. Asia and Rich both worked on the Strike almost exclusively, so they had a lot of extended contact with Kira.

 

“It’s not that!” Kira protested, both mechanics looked at her like they didn’t believe her before they each grabbed a hold of an arm and dragged her out into and down the hall.

 

“Where are we going?” she asked, as they pulled her along, she tried to get loose from them to no avail. They were determined.

 

“It’s a secret.” Rich said with a grin and a wink, which Kira just knew meant trouble.

 

They both seemed to know where they were going at least. Eventually they stopped outside a door, and Asia let go of Kira to open it. She tried to use that chance to get away but Rich grabbed a hold of her and manhandled her inside.

 

Kira realized with a start they were in Rich’s office, which was a strange feeling for Kira; as she knew very few people on board had private areas like this.

 

She looked around the room, to see  that it was fairly organized, and she would bet that he knew exactly where everything was in the room. There were piles of paper stacked around the room, and pens everywhere. There were small scale mobile suits scattered through the room as well, and Kira recognized some of them as ones she had helped design with the engineering team.

 

She was dropped down into a simple, but soft office chair. Rich took a seat behind the overly large, messy desk; and Asia pulled another chair to block Kira’s exit.

 

They all sat in silence for a long while before Rich spoke. “So, how did Mr. Fiance react when he found Alex in bed with you?”

 

Kira flushed, mildly embarrassed that he and Asia both knew of Kira’s bed partner; but they also knew that there was nothing sexual about it, although Rich insisted that Alex had a crush on her; and Asia agreed. ‘Every straight man does!’ she had said when Kira tried to deny it.

 

Alex hadn’t helped matters when he had said that even some gay men would turn straight for her. Kira had never been so embarrassed.

 

“Yeah, spill. I bet he was thrilled to find the love of his life in another man’s arms.” Asia teased, although there was a slight edge to her voice, that conveyed the seriousness of the situation.

 

“You both make it sound like we’re doing more that just sleeping.” Kira sighed, knowing that they didn’t mean it like that.

 

“He wasn’t happy, that’s for sure. I don’t really know what he said, or did to Alex though. He pulled him out into the hallway so that they wouldn’t wake me. Though, I started to wake up as soon as Alex spoke, but when Athrun responded, I was wide awake.”

 

“But you didn’t let them know that, did you?”

 

“Of course not. They were out in the hall for a lot longer than I would have liked though, I actually had started to fall back asleep before Athrun came back in. I didn’t see Alex, and haven’t seen him yet today; but I think I would have heard if they had started fighting in the hall.”

 

“I saw Hayden this morning,” Rich cut in, “He looked pissed off but he wasn’t hurt. Not that I could see anyway.”  


“That’s no help, you know he’s as stubborn as the rest of ‘em. He wouldn’t show it if he was hurting.”  


“Anyway, Athrun came to bed after that; and he’s not said anything or asked about it.”

 

“Came to bed? Not went to sleep?” Asia teased, Kira blushed but refused to answer.

 

“Well, at least he didn’t beat the shit out of Alex.” Rich said, with a grin. “Where is Zala anyway?”

 

“What am I, his keeper now?” Kira asked trying, and failing to sound offended.

 

“You don’t know?” Asia asked, sounding surprised.

 

“No, he said he needed to do something. I didn’t ask, if he wants me to know, he’ll tell me.”

 

“I bet he went to look for Hayden.” Rich commented with a grin.

 

Kira glared at him in response, worried about that herself.

 

“Yo! Rich!” They heard a voice yell moments before the door to the office opened, “Have you seen- Oh. There you are Kira!” It was Jace; he was an assistant in the medical office.

 

He was short, and young. He had long black hair that he kept pulled back into a low ponytail. His skin was dark, as he spent a lot of time in the sun. His eyes were hazel, though the majority of the time they were a shade of green. He had a small mustache, and he had three piercings in his ears, and a clear barbell through his tongue. He was very intelligent, and friendly. Kira had heard that he’d gotten in trouble for being a little ‘overly friendly’ once, before he came to the Caernarfon.

 

“Hey, is something wrong?”

 

“No, not really. I need to have a private word with you though.”

 

“Alright.” Kira  said as she stood, “I’ll talk to you guys later.” she said to Asia and Rich as she followed him out.

 

He had stepped out into the hall to wait for her, and when she exited the room he smiled before gesturing for her to follow him.

 

“Seriously, is there a problem Jace?”

 

“No, there was just a red flag on your record because you’ve not had any of the standard blood draw tests done. They usually get done during your physical before you ever enter training. For some reason, yours got looked over, so we just need to get it done.”  


“Oh, alright. Is that all?”

 

“No, we have a standard questionnaire that needs done as well. It _shouldn’t_ take long.”

 

“Okay. I’m in no rush.”

 

“That’s good.” Jace said.

 

When they arrived in the office, Jace took her straight back to one of the private rooms, and handed her a clip board with several pages on it.

 

“Do you mind if I do the blood draw and questionnaire? Or would you rather I get Dr. Lauren for you?”

 

“You don’t need to go get her, I’m fine with you doing it.”

 

“Alright, would you please start on those questions, and I’ll work on getting all the papers ready for your blood draw. When you finish with those, I’ll draw your blood, and then we’ll do a short review on your history. Then you’ll be free to go.”

 

“Okay.” Kira said before she turned back to the clipboard and started filling it out, Jace’s typing galling into the background as she filled the papers out.

 

It all seemed like pretty basic information, starting with personal information, then moving to family history, then her personal medical history; then Kira reached a section that asked about her sexual health.

 

She felt herself turn red and she glanced up at Jace and saw that he wasn’t paying attention, which made her feel better.

 

With how many individuals have you had sexual contact with?

 

_Good god. Not even a full day I’ve not been a virgin and I have to answer questions like this._

 

She finished that as quickly as she could, before moving to the section after that that asked about employment history, and risk factors. The final page was a confidentiality agreement and statement that she signed and then she handed Jace the papers and he set them down and got the supplies ready to do the blood draw.

 

Kira glanced away while he did this part, but continued talking to him. “Don’t like needles?” he asked when he noticed she was staring at a wall.

 

“Not really. I just don’t like watching the blood draws.”

 

“Fair enough.” he said and Kira heard him move backwards, away from her arm and then she felt a pulling sensation and felt him press something soft against her arm. She glanced down and saw there were five small vials sitting on a tray and he was holding a gauze pad to her arm, she took it and he placed a piece of wrap over it so that it would stay in place.

 

“Feel okay?” he asked and Kira nodded, he glanced away and starting placing small labels on the vials as he talked to her.

 

“Ready to go over the questions?”

 

“I guess.” Kira mumbled.

 

“Don’t worry, Kira. I don’t judge.” he said with a wink, which oddly made Kira feel better.

 

They went through the questions quickly; and Kira thought that Jace wanted to make some remark when they got to the sexual health but instead just asked if she’d rather have Lauren; which she said no too. He smiled and plowed through the questions, quick and painless.

 

When they got done, he just smiled and said that everything seemed normal and asked if she had any questions, which she didn’t.

 

“You’re free to go then, thanks for coming in Kira.” he said with a smile.

 

“No problem, Jace. I like you.” she said with a laugh.

 

“Well, can I ask you something again? It’s personal, so don’t feel like you have to answer.” he said as Kira stopped next to the closed door.

 

“Sure, what?”

 

“Your one, is it Athrun?”

 

Kira turned red, not expecting him to ask her _that._ “Yeah, it is.”

 

“Recently?”

 

“What?!” she snapped turning even redder.

 

“It’s not really noticeable but you’re walking like you’re sore. If you need something, come see me. I won’t tell anyone, and I can make sure your, and his, records are safe that way. Some people might try to profit, because of his… name and connections.”

 

“Yeah…” she muttered quietly, “Last night was the first time…” she admitted quietly and Jace looked startled for a moment before wiping the expression off his face.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, and his tone told Kira it was a loaded question. She walked back over and sat next to him, “What do you mean?” she asked him back leaning in close.

 

He sighed, “I don’t really know, just… are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. I’m alright. Thanks for your concern.”

 

“Of course… another personal question?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Are you happy with the birth control you’re on?”

 

Kira laughed, surprised. “Yes, thank you.”

 

He smiled, “Just wanted to check, also there are methods for men as well; and if you need any condoms, come see me.” he said with a wink.

 

Kira laughed and blushed even more, “I’m leaving now.” she said and he smiled and waved, “See you later Kira. Take it easy.”

 

* * *

 

_7-15-71 CE_

_M-4 docks_

_1500 hours_

 

“How was your trip Councilmen?” Commander Skyy was asking the three men who had just arrived from the PLANTs.

 

“The trip went very well, thank you, Commander Skyy.” Councilman Sigel Clyne answered, his assistant Jami Harrison at his side, with her left hand resting on her gun.

 

“I imagine you all are tired, after such a flight… I’m sure you’d like to get some rest right now?”

 

“I can’t speak for the others, but I think I’d like to spend some time with my son.” Patrick said, with a nearly blank face.

 

“Of course, I believe he’s in the hangar with the other pilots at the moment.”

 

“I think i’d like to come as well Councilman Clyne said and Councilman Elsman said that he would like to see his own son; so the group made their way there.

 

Patrick stopped at the hangar door, a bit surprised at the amount of people moving around. He spotted his future-daughter-in-law almost immediately; and was surprised at where she was at.

 

She was sitting at the very top of the Strike, with two young mechanics on either side of her. A young red haired man, and a dark skinned and dark haired young woman. They were all looking at what seemed to be a tablet, and seemed to be in a heated discussion.

 

He looked away and saw that Athrun was standing by the foot of the Cruiser, with Aiman and Mackenzie. They seemed to be having a conversation as well, although he did notice that his son kept looking over to his young love.

 

Tad Elsman and Tony Scott were walking over to Dearka, and Sigel and Jami were at the far side of the room, talking with Commander Ryan Wilson. Patrick watched his son for awhile before Mya cleared her throat.

 

“Is something wrong Patrick?”

 

“No, Mya. Nothing’s wrong. It just struck me to see them both here, together but separate. Both soldiers, no matter how I feel about it.”

 

“It must be difficult to see them both so grown up.”

 

“Yeah, it is.”

 

“Dad!” they heard a feminine yell, and he turned to see Kira standing and jumping, letting the anti-gravity carry her gently to the ground; and as soon as her feet had safely touched the ground she sprinted towards him. Throwing her arms around him in an overly exaggerated hug. He caught her and returned the hug.

 

He could feel eyes on him as he let her go. “Hello to you too Kira. You seem excited.”

 

“I didn’t know you were coming!” she said with a grin, and saying hi to Mya as well.

 

“Well, good. It was supposed to be a surprise.” Athrun spoke as he walked up behind her, she turned and punched his shoulder, gently. “Punk.” she muttered.

 

“Hello, son.”

 

“Hey, dad. How are you, how was the flight?”

 

“I’m fine, and the flight was long; but tolerable.” he said with a smile. 

 

“Hey, Mya. It’s good to see you again.” Athrun said turning to her.

 

“It’s good to see that you are well, Athrun. I worry you know, you too Kira.” She said with a grin.

 

“Thank you Mya. I’ve missed you too.” Kira said with a grin.

 

“Yamato!” they all turned to see a male coming their way. It was a thirty something year old man, with very dark skin. His hair went to just below his ears, and it was two different shades of purple. He had two piercings in the cartlidge of his ear, and one in the bottom. He had a small amount of facial hair, and he had on a black and red uniform. It was Commander Ryan Wilson.

 

“Hello, Commander.” Patrick spoke when he got close, and Wilson saluted him.

 

“Sir! It’s a pleasure.” Patrick smirked, and told him to settle down, there was no need for the formality.

 

 “I assume you need Kira for something, so we’ll leave you to that. Kira, join us for dinner tonight?” Mya asked.

 

“Of course, I’ll see you later.” She smiled at them, and threw a glance at Athrun with a small smile, that he returned before she spun on her heel and followed Wilson over to the Strike where Rich and Asia were waiting with the tablet.

 

* * *

 

_7-20-71 CE_

_Meeting Room_

 

Commander Eliza Skyy and Commander Ryan Wilson stood side by side at the front of the meeting room. Skyy looked as unfazed as she always did, flawless really. Wilson however was a mess, his skin was drenched in sweat and he held a katana in his left hand. It was well known that he was a well rounded soldier, that did exceptionally well in hand to hand combat, and it was rumored that he had an affinity for swords.

 

He was scowling and looking at the clock, making Kira believe that he was growing rather agitated about whoever they were waiting for; who was apparently running late. Kira glanced to her side and saw that Alex was looking at the clock at well.

 

* * *

 

_1305_

 

 _They better hurry up…_ Kira thought, just as she finished this thought the phone rang. Commander Wilson snatched the phone off the hook, with an irritated scowl.

 

“Wilson.”

 

“Yes. No. When? No. Very well.”

 

There was a long pause as he stared at the clock. “Yes, very well.” he said before he placed the phone back in its cradle, he walked back towards the center of the room; depositing his sword on the desk as he passed.

 

“It seems the rest of the class will not be joining us today.” he said, obviously sour over it.

 

“In three days time,” he said as he gestured to the video screen that had just flickered to life behind him; with an overhead view of the stage area. “Councilman Patrick Zala, will be giving a speech from our newly acquired base. Squad One, you will be positioned here.” he said gesturing to the right. “Squad Two, to the left. Squad three, will be in the front; between the Councilman and the Crowd. Squad four and seven, you will be mingled in the crowd. Squads five and six, you will be on stage with the Councilmen. Squads Eight, Nine and Ten, you will be positioned on the top of the buildings on the far side of the stage. There will be various other soldiers, patrolling all the entrances and exits. Any questions?

 

Kira heard a shift in the back, and she glanced to the side to see a young man standing in the back. “Sir. When will we be made aware of the squad assignments?”

 

“You will all be assigned tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you, sir.”

 

He glanced around, as if waiting for others to speak up. “Dismissed.” he said as he picked up his sword and walked out. Kira glanced over to Skyy, who was smirking. She turned and left as well, without saying anything.

 

* * *

 

_7-23-71 CE_

_ZAFT Base, Platform_

_1000 hours_

 

“And this is a sign of-”

 

_CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!_

 

Kira felt her heart stop as Patrick cut off mid-sentence, as the gunshots echoed in the stadium. Patrick hit the floor, and Kira knew her greatest fear had just been realized.

 

_Security breach!_

 

End Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed. I do own all my original characters, I worked to make them they are mine, please do not use them.

 

Note: There will be times when I refer to the different characters by military rank, (staff sergeant, specialist, corporal) if you have any questions, or are confused by the ranks PLEASE ASK ME! I will be happy to explain, or help you understand.

 

Also, I’m sorry. I know I’m a bitch for not updating. Sorry. I’m trying! And hey~~~ NEW CHAPTER! READ AND ENJOY!

 

Captured

Chapter 11:

 

 

The world was moving in slow motion, really she knew it wasn’t, but she couldn’t seem to get to Patrick fast enough. No matter how hard she was pushing her body.

 

_Run! Run!!_

 

She knew that there had to be people screaming but she couldn’t hear that, and she only faintly registered the static and crackle coming from her radio which was making it near impossible to concentrate.

 

_Squad three, go after him! One! Two! Close in on the stage! Nine! Cut him off! Snipers! Look for further threats, eliminate them!_

 

On her left she could sense another group, that she knew to be full of young looking soldiers that hadn’t seen a day of battle yet, closing in as they would have been ordered, but they were hopelessly clueless as to what else to do.

 

It felt like an eternity before she reached the fallen councilman.

 

The first thing she noticed, was the red that was spreading across the fallen Zala’s chest. Staining his crisp white shirt an ugly red color. _Why the hell didn’t he have a vest on?!_

 

Sound returned to her with a sharp crack that sounded far to close to her and the fallen councilman. She pulled her utility knife and cut the shirt open, and felt her stomach lurch at the sight of the wounds. Two. One in the chest, one on the right shoulder. The one in his chest looked to be the worse and she quickly pressed her hands to it, hoping to slow the blood flow.

 

She took a moment to look at his face then, his skin was pale. Sickly looking. The pain in his expression caused another fleeting moment of pure panic, before she shoved that feeling aside and tried to focus.

 

_Don’t die on me! You can’t leave us like this!_

 

She felt a hard pressure in her shoulder and glanced to the side to see it was Athrun, he had his hand on her shoulder and was trying to gain her attention.

 

“Lift on three! Then straight to the transport!” She heard a voice say sharply. At the corners of her vision she could see other men moving around and the man in front of her had on a medical uniform. “Keep your hands on that wound. He’s lost too much as it is.” Kira heard Athrun, who was pressed right next to her, his arms under his father’s head, snarl.

 

“One! Two! Lift!” Kira kept her hands pressed firmly to the wound, and she tried not to look at his face; the pained sound he made told her enough. Seeing it would do no good.

 

“Zala~ get your hands on that shoulder!” One of the medics barked, and Kira couldn’t help but feel her worry escalate. _Is that one just as bad? Did the movement aggravate it?_

 

“Let’s move.” Someone said, and Kira fell into the fluid movement of the stretcher, and she felt Athrun’s movements right with her.

 

After what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes at the most, Kira was moved to the side and a nurse took her spot, a doctor right on her heels. A moment later Athrun was pushed aside, and they watched, matching feelings of dread as Patrick was wheeled immediately into surgery.

 

“Are you both alright?” a young male asked as he walked up from the side, looking at them both with a sad look. His eyes kept glancing to their hands. “Yeah. We need to get cleaned up though.” Kira said, when Athrun stayed silent.

 

“Yes, please come this way.” He said and Kira had to bump Athrun with her elbow to get him moving. “There’s nothing more we can do here. He’s in the best hands now.” she whispered. He nodded but still did not speak.

 

Kira quietly shrugged off her jacket and promptly tossed it in the trash. _I have more, no need to keep that one._ She scrubbed her arms with a vigor that left her arms looking red and sore after; but she did not show any signs of discomfort.

 

“If they need a blood transfusion, I’m a match to my father.” Athrun said suddenly, looking at the male assistant standing at the doorway. He seemed startled by the suddenness of his voice, but he nodded.

 

“Thank you Staff Sergeant Zala, that information will be very useful. Would you please come with me to review some of the medical records? We want to make sure we have all the necessary information.” He spoke quickly, trying to gather his bearings.

 

Athrun nodded sharply, and turned to Kira. “Kira, can you please call mom… let her know what’s happening?”

 

“Of course. Go. I’ll take care of it.” She said with a sad smile, he walked away with the aide after that, and she sat down on one of the hard plastic chairs in the hall, pulling out her phone and staring sadly at the screen for a moment; before tapping the screen and hitting her name. It rang once.

 

“Kira! Are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m alright. Athrun is too. They just took him back for surgery.”  


“Oh, no. How bad is it then?”

 

She hesitated, hating that they were doing this over the phone. “Two shots, one in the chest, and one in the shoulder. They looked pretty bad.”

 

“He didn’t have on a vest, did he?”

 

“No. I don’t know why yet.”

 

“Thank you, Kira. Is my son with you?”

 

“No, he’s with an aide. They wanted to check medical history. He volunteered for a blood transfusion if it’s needed.”

 

“Okay. I’m getting on a transport right now. Please let Athrun know when you see him. I love you both.”

 

“Ok, love you too, mom.”

 

There was a soft click as the line disconnected, and a soft melody started playing as a text came in.

 

_Alex: Where are you?_

 

She typed back a quick response, and put her phone down, setting her head in her hands. A short time later a young woman came into the room.

 

“Miss Yamato?”

 

“Yes.” She said standing quickly and approaching.

 

“Staff Sergeant Zala asked me to inform you that he will be doing a blood transfusion, so he will not be returning for a few hours.”

 

“Oh, thank you.” She replied softly, “Any word on Councilman Zala?” She frowned, “It doesn’t look good right now, the best doctors are with him now. We’re doing all we can  for him. We’ll be sure to keep updating you.”

 

“Thank you, Lenore is on the way too.”

 

“Okay. Can I get you anything ma’am?”

 

“No, thanks.” She nodded and went back the way she came.

 

Kira collapsed back into the chair, and rested her head back against the cold wall, and took a deep breath. Dimly she noticed the voices on the radio had calmed.

 

_Two targets eliminated, one captured. Transferring suspect to the cells._

_Team Three, reporting all clear. Injured being transferred now._

_Any news on Councilman Zala?_

 

When she heard the question she immediately grabbed the radio, knowing without a doubt everyone was worried.

 

“This is Yamato. Councilman is in surgery.”

 

_Is Athrun with you?_

“He’s giving blood for a transfusion, he will be reporting late. Mrs. Zala is on her way in.”

 

_Keep us posted._

 

That was no doubt Commander Skyy. Her voice was so easy to distinguish, particularly when most of the chatter is from men out in the crowds.

 

Kira heard footsteps approaching and saw Ethan  walking up, his jacket stained in blood.

 

“Ethan! Are you alright?”

 

He nodded, “It’s not mine. We were sent to standby here. Alex and Jake will be here soon.” He said as he sat in the chair next to mine. “You okay?”

 

“I’m unhurt.” She said softly, her voice nearly hollow.

 

“That’s not what I asked… but I get it. Councilman Zala, he’s a strong man. He has to be, he’s such a great leader.” Ethan said, with a nervous expression.

 

“Thanks,”

 

We sat in silence for what felt like a long time, when Alex and Jake arrived, escorting Lenore. “Kira!” she called as she walked down the hall, causing the young girl to bolt out of her seat and hug her mother-like figure.

 

“I…”

 

“Hush. He’s with the best doctors. It’s all we can do.”

 

Kira nodded and the four sat back down with Ethan, to cross their fingers and wait. When the nurse came out next to update them, the news was not much better, but Lenore took it in great stride.

 

“Thank you, now Ms. James, we will be joining my son in his recovery room, as it is my understanding he will be under observation for quite a while longer?”

 

“That’s true ma’am. I would be glad to escort you.”

 

“That is not necessary, get back to the surgery. Which room is it?”

 

“28C, ma’am.” She said nervously. We all knew the rules would normally require the nurse or a doctor to escort her, as we were in a high security medical center, but she was the councilman’s wife, and there were four soldier with her.

 

Lenore nodded and turned down the hall, and they all followed her closely; with the exception of Jacob, as the oldest he always felt the need to take the lead, so he jogged forward and took the lead of the group. It was a short amount of time before they reached the room that was designated. Jacob knocked shortly, and waited.

 

“Enter.”

 

Jacob stepped to the side to allow Kira and Lenore in first, and Kira felt great relief at what she saw. Athrun was sitting upright, stripped to the waist with an IV in his left arm.

 

“Kira? Mom! I didn’t expect you so soon.”

 

“We were worried, and I came as fast as the pilots could get me here.” Lenore said softly as she hugged her son. Kira sat on the edge of the bed, holding onto his left hand. Alex took us post by the door, while Ethan and Jacob both pulled chairs over to the side to make sure they wouldn’t be in Mrs. Zala’s way.

 

“Any news on dad?” Athrun asked after a long while, of them sitting in silence, no one quite sure what to say in such a terrible moment.

 

“Last check he was still fighting, the bullet in his shoulder came out without any complications, the other however, is much more difficult given the placement.”

 

“I should have been closer to the stage, then maybe dad wouldn’t have gotten shot.” Athrun said quietly as he tightened his fist. “Damnit.”

 

“With all due respect,” Jacob spoke up. “It might have just gotten you both shot, then we’d be in an even worse situation.”

 

“He’s right, it would be hard to find to matching donors for blood if you’d both been injured. It can be difficult to just find one at times; and we defiantly are fighting time here.” Alex said softly. “If you had been shot, we would be at a great risk of losing you both.”

 

Lenore looked surprised, as did her son. “They make valid points son. This way we didn’t have to waste time looking for a match, and I don’t think I could handle it if you both had been hurt.”

 

“I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.” Kira said softly. “It’s hard enough seeing Patrick like that…”

 

The automatic door slid open then, and a middle aged man walked in. “Sir, just here to check on you.” He spoke kindly.

 

“I’m fine. Ready to get off this bed,” Athrun said with a forced smile.

 

“I understand. Not much longer, we don’t want you passing out or having any ill effects.”

 

“If you insist.” He said with a sour note.

 

The man just smiled, “Let me check your IV, I’m still waiting to hear more news on your father. I know this must be difficult for you.” He walked to the side, and Kira stood quickly, “Sorry, I’ll move.”

 

“No, no! You’re fine, just sit back there; I can see all I need to.” Kira sat back down by him, and Athrun grabbed her hand again. “Are you Mr. Zala’s fiancée then?” he asked after a brief pause.

 

“Yes, I’m Kira.”

 

“Miss Kira, it’s been nice to meet you.”

 

“Thank you for taking care of Athrun.” She responded, much to the surprise of the man; before he could respond a sharp beeping noise rang from his pocket.

 

“Oh dear, let’s all hope for good news!” he said as he pulled a small tablet from his pocket and began clicking away.

 

“Oh, good. They are finishing up with councilman Zala now. He did end up needing the blood you donated, so it’s a good thing we did it when we did. There were complications, but I’ll let his surgeon go over that with you. It’ll be a little while yet before he’s taken to the recovery room, so just sit tight. It looks like things are starting to turn up. Congratulations.” He said looking, significantly more relieved.

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Athrun’s whole body went slack. “Thank fuck.” He whispered quietly, but Kira still heard him, and she felt nearly the same. Her body relaxed back against the bed as well, and she noticed that Ethan, Jacob and Alex all looked more relaxed. Their postures not so stiff, their expressions more open instead of guarded.

 

“How soon will it be for me to see my husband?” Lenore asked, a significant change overcoming her.

 

“As soon as I know which room he’s going to I will take you there; we can meet him there. Although, it may be awhile before he wakes.”  


“Of course, he just went through a five hour surgery. I imagine he’ll sleep for a while longer.”

 

He left after that, and the group as a whole could feel the tension leaving the room. “That’s such fantastic news.”  
 

_7-23-71_

_1800 hours_

_Hospital_

_Kira’s POV_

 

I walked slowly down the hall, anxiety filling my mind. The memory of Patrick’s pale, sickly expression remained in my mind. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and turned to see Jacob’s worried green eyes. I tried to force a smile, so that he wouldn’t be so worried; but it was obvious from his expression that he wasn’t believing it at all.

 

“Kira, I know how you’re feeling right now. It’s hard to even imagine losing a parent, but to come so close is nearly unbearable.” He spoke softly, and I was reminded rather sharply that he had lost _both_ his parents, just over a year ago.

 

I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just squeezed his arm as we continued down the hall. “Are you sure you don’t want to go change?”

 

“No, I need to see for myself that he’s actually going to be okay. Athrun can tell me all he wants, but…”

 

“It’s just not the same.” He finished for me, with an understanding nod. “I get it.”

 

After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at the secured room. There were three special forces soldiers standing outside the door. I was shocked to see that one of them was Victor, Ethan’s older brother. He was standing in the middle, and smirked at me; “Good to see you again, kid.”

 

“Hey.” Was all I could think to say. “Does Ethan know you’re out here?”

 

“Yeah, baby brother came by to see me already. How are you holding up? Heard you were right in the middle of yesterday’s fiasco.”

 

“I’m alright. A lot better now that we know he’s okay.”

 

“Of course. You’re not here to chat it up with me, go see him. We’ll catch up later.” Victor said with a grin. He knew what loss felt like as well, he had lost both parents when he was a teenager; and he had had two younger siblings to look after at the time. He slid the door open for me, and stepped to the side, “Thanks.” Was all I could say as I walked past. Relieved to finally get to see Patrick, awake and doing well.

 

Lenore was sitting at his side, and Athrun was standing by the counter; there was a nurse as well, seeing to be checking on his progress. It explained the almost eerie silence in the room.

 

“Good to see you, Kira.” He said quietly from the bed, I noticed he looked a lot better than the last time I had seen him; but I forced those thoughts away quickly. What mattered was that he was okay.

 

“Good to see you too. You’re looking a lot better.”

 

“I imagine so! I heard you were the first one to get to me. Thank you.”

 

“Kira’s not left the hospital since.” Athrun cut in, from his place to the side, he was smiling softly. Relieved; I imagined, as we had all felt true terror for a while.

 

”Of course I didn’t. I wanted to know right away what was happening, and the best way was to stay as close as I could.” Kira walked over to Athrun and hugged him. She noticed briefly that the nurse had left without her noticing.

 

“What’s the plan now? Are you staying here to recover?”

 

“No, they’re sending me back to the PLANTs. They seem to think the risk is worth it.”

 

“Risk?” Athrun, suddenly looked far more worried. Patrick nodded, “Ideally, they wouldn’t want to move someone that just had such intense surgery; but I think they’re willing to take that risk to get me to a more secure facility. Everyone’s worried about someone trying again, when news gets out that I’ve survived.”

 

“But that information is not being released until you are on the way home, Mr. Zala.” Kira turned at the new voice, and was not surprised to see that it was Mya; Patrick’s assistant.

 

“Of course. That was there is no chance of someone getting to you before we get home.” Lenore agreed.

 

“When do you leave?” I asked, knowing that I sounded as worried as Athrun looked.

 

“Later today, they had to wait until I was conscious again. Though, I will be taking some pain medication and trying to sleep on the way there.”

 

“Are you hurting now?” I couldn’t help but be terrified at the thoughts that were plaguing me. A million things could go wrong, from the injury being aggravated, to something going wrong with the ship; which while I knew the chances were one in a million; it could still happen.

 

“No, dear. They’ve got me all sorted out as far as that goes. I actually think I might go ahead and fall asleep kids.” He spoke softly, and made a shooing motion with his hand towards me and Athrun. I smiled and saluted, which while unnecessary still felt appropriate. Athrun just shook his head and walked to his father’s side as I stepped out of the room.

 

 

End Chapter 11


End file.
